Recipes › Tomato (Specialty) › Roasted Specialty Tomato and Burrata Salad with Basil Oil
Roasted Specialty Tomato and Burrata Salad with Basil Oil
A celebration of the best tomatoes of the season, slow-roasted until jammy and intensely sweet, then laid over creamy burrata with a vivid green basil oil drizzled over the top. This is the dish to make in August when your tomatoes are at their absolute peak — the roasting concentrates every bit of flavour the plant has worked all summer to build. Serve with good sourdough to mop up the juices.
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Ingredients
- 900 Tomato (Specialty) — mixed varieties such as Black Krim, Tigerella, Green Zebra, halved or quartered depending on size
- 2 burrata, at room temperatureor use fresh mozzarella, torn
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- 40 g fresh basil, leaves picked
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- 1 pinch black pepper, freshly ground
Contains: sulphites.
Method
- Preheat your oven to 160°C fan. Arrange the tomatoes cut-side up on a large baking tray in a single layer. Scatter over the sliced garlic, sprinkle with the caster sugar and half the salt, and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil.About 5 min
- Roast the tomatoes for 35–40 minutes until they have collapsed, caramelised at the edges and their juices are beginning to concentrate into a sticky pool on the tray. They should be deeply savoury but still hold their shape. Remove and leave to cool to room temperature.About 40 min
- While the tomatoes cool, make the basil oil. Bring a small pan of water to the boil, blanch the basil leaves for 10 seconds, then immediately drain and plunge into a bowl of iced water. Squeeze out all the water thoroughly and blend the blanched basil with the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil, the red wine vinegar and a pinch of salt until completely smooth. Pass through a fine sieve if you want it very clean.About 8 min
- To assemble, spoon all the roasted tomatoes and their tray juices onto a large serving platter. Tear the burrata into quarters and nestle the pieces among the tomatoes. Drizzle generously with the basil oil, grind over black pepper and finish with a pinch of flaky salt.About 5 min
Tips
- Use the most visually varied mix of specialty tomatoes you can find — the combination of colours and shapes is half the appeal of this dish.
- Blanching the basil before blending fixes the colour so the oil stays vivid green for hours rather than oxidising to brown immediately.
- The roasted tomatoes are excellent on their own as a pasta sauce — just toss with cooked pasta and a splash of pasta water.
Ring the changes
- Replace burrata with whipped ricotta (250g strained overnight) seasoned with lemon zest and salt for a lighter version.
- Add 30g toasted pine nuts scattered over the top for texture — they work brilliantly with the sweet-acidic tomato juices.
Keeping it
The roasted tomatoes keep refrigerated for up to 4 days and improve overnight. Assemble with burrata just before serving. Basil oil keeps refrigerated for 2 days — bring to room temperature before using.
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