Creole Tomato Salad

Healthy, fresh, packed with flavor, and the easiest side dish for summer dinners. Bring this salad to the table and it will always be a hit!

Creole Tomato Salad with Heirloom Tomatoes

Ok. Maybe calling sliced creole tomato a “salad” is a bit of a stretch. But what is it supposed to call it? Sliced creole tomatoes that make your mouth water through the screen? Yeah, something like that.

When it’s hot in Louisiana, all I want is fresh, mouth-watering food, like this simple salad. It’s the perfect summer side dish you can assemble in 5 minutes with seasonal ingredients and no cooking required.

I use those tomatoes I bought one or two days ago at the market, combine the ingredients and serve the salad at room temperature with a tasty red wine vinaigrette. Simple, refreshing, and delicious!

What are Creole tomatoes?

In Louisiana, our tomatoes grown in the Southern parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines that are ripened on the vine and only picked when they’re ripe and juicy are called Creole tomatoes. The emphasis is on vine-ripened and locally grown, usually sold in our local supermarkets.

Ingredients

You just need a few fresh ingredients to pull together this delicious Creole tomato salad. The measurements are at the end of the post, but first, check out the list:

• Ripe creole tomatoes: use them a day or two after buying them at the market. Keep reading for substitutions. 
• Onion: vidalia onion or sweet onion are the best for this recipe.
• Salt: for seasoning.
• Sprigs fresh tyme or lemon tyme: to add a lot of flavors!
• Red wine vinaigrette: a classic dressing for this salad. You can make it quickly with my recipe or use another simple vinaigrette you love.

What can I Substitute for Creole tomatoes?

If you don’t live in or near Louisiana and don’t have Creole tomatoes, you can substitute them with a good vine-ripened tomato that’s medium to large in size or an Heirloom tomato.

How to Make Creole Tomato Salad

You just have to slice tomato and onions, season, and BOOM! In 5 minutes, you have a Creole tomato salad ready to serve. Here’s how:

1. Make the dressing
   Follow this recipe to make the red wine vinaigrette. You can store it in the fridge for up to a week.
2. Make the salad
   First, you arrange the tomato slices on a platter and separate the thin onion slices over the tomatoes. 
3. Season
   Sprinkle with salt. Then, you remove some of the thyme leaves from the sprigs and sprinkle them over the salad. 
4. Serve
   Right before serving, you drizzle the red wine vinaigrette to enjoy the salad at room temperature.

Creole Tomato Salad Dressing

This salad made with fresh, ripe, juicy creole tomatoes pairs best with a simple dressing like a red wine vinaigrette. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the light acidity of the red wine vinegar and olive oil are a classic combination here in New Orleans.

New Orleans Recipes to Serve with Tomato Salad

The simplicity of this Creole tomato salad makes it a great side for almost everything! That said, if you want to enjoy an authentic New Orleans meal, you need to try this salad with Seared Cajun Salmon, Panéed Chicken or this New Orleans Fried Catfish recipe.

Another NOLA classic you want to devour is the traditional Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya or this healthy low-carb version. Both are a hefty serving all by themselves, so this light salad is the perfect side!