When the first tomatoes of summer arrive, I'm wriggling with excitement. I eat them straight - sliced and sprinkled with a little salt. Nothing else. Don't get between me and my fresh tomatoes.
Then, a few weeks pass…the tomatoes still taste delicious and all, but…well…I get bored. They were summer's glory, all in one red, ripe package; now they're "Five pounds of tomatoes from the CSA? But I still have a couple left over from last week!"
That's when the recipes come out. I make salsa (lots of salsa) and gazpacho. And, when I'm grilling, I make this bread salad.
It's a perfect summer recipe - marinate the tomatoes in a garlicky red wine vinaigrette, grill the bread quickly, and sprinkle with some minced herbs. I still get the glory of summer, but it seems…new, somehow.
📖 Recipe Card
Grilled Bread and Tomato Salad (Panzanella)
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Ripe summer tomatoes marinated in garlic red wine vinaigrette, tossed with grilled crusty bread, and topped with Parmesan, parsley and basil.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 2 (1 inch thick) slices crusty bread
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Red wine vinaigrette with garlic
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Toppings
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil
Instructions
- Marinate the tomatoes: In a medium bowl, whisk the vinaigrette ingredients side to side until emulsified, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, toss to coat, and set aside.
- Preheat the grill: Set up the grill for direct medium heat. On a gas grill, preheat with all the burners on high for 15 minutes, brush the grate clean, then turn the burners down to medium.
- Grill the bread: Drizzle one side of the bread with olive oil. Grill oil side up over direct medium heat until marked, about 1 minute. Flip, and grill about 1 minute more. Watch closely; it burns fast.
- Toss and serve: Let the bread cool for a couple of minutes, then cut or tear into 1 inch chunks. Toss with the tomatoes, spoon onto plates, and sprinkle with the Parmesan, parsley and basil.
Notes
Equipment: A grill.
This salad depends on ripe summer tomatoes. Out of season, use cherry or grape tomatoes.
Leave the lid open while grilling the bread. Oiled bread goes from browned to burnt in a flash.
Burned the bread? Scrape off the charred bits with a butter knife.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 minutes
What do you think?
Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.
Related Posts
Grilled Tomato-Tomatillo Salsa
Grilled Tomato and Habaerno Salsa (Chiltomate)
Fresh Tomato Gazpacho (in a Vitamix)
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Mike V @ DadCooksDinner says
Thanks for the suggestion!
RK says
Try the cooks illustrated trick - salt the tomatoes, leave in colander for 30 minutes, then toss the bread in the tomato water. Sometimes I spin the tomatoes in a salad spinner too (another CI trick) to extract more water. Let the bread sit in the water for 10 minutes then toss with tomatoes etc.