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You are here: Home / Recipes / Caprese Salad

August 18, 2011 by Ann Marie Michaels 12 Comments

Caprese Salad

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Insalata Caprese

Caprese Salad, or Insalata Caprese in Italian, is a summer salad made with tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. It is the perfect salad in summertime, with freshly harvested homegrown basil and tomatoes.

The recipe is from the island of Capri. It was invented in the 1950s at the Trattoria da Vincenzo. Regulars would order a just-picked tomato and some fresh fior di latte, or cow's-milk mozzarella.

Traditionally, the dressing for Caprese salad was just a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Vinegar was believed to destroy the delicate flavor of the cheese and was never used. That said, you will find Caprese salads dressed with olive oil and Balsmaic vinegar in many American restaurants. I think it’s good both ways. If you’re a purist, just use olive oil.

Recipe Notes

It is essential to use the very best ingredients. Flavorless grocery store tomatoes and rubbery processed mozzarella are unacceptable. Use fresh basil and tomatoes and the best quality mozzarella you can find.

Ideally, use homegrown tomatoes and basil from your garden. It's so fun to just head outdoors, gather some fresh produce and make a salad.

Caprese Salad

Ingredients

Tomatoes, ideally heirloom and/or homegrown, organic, large (4 or 2 lbs)
Mozzarella, fresh, ideally from grass-fed cows (1 lb)
Basil, fresh, ideally organic (1/4 cup packed)
Olive oil, extra-virgin, organic (3-4 TBS)
Sea salt
Black pepper, freshly ground — where to buy ground pepper

Directions

1. Slice tomatoes into 1/2-inch slices.
2. Slice mozzarella into 1/2-inch slices.
3. On a large platter, arrange tomato, mozzarella slices and basil leaves, alternating them.
4. Drizzle with the olive oil.
5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Photo credit: Insalata Caprese by FotoosVanRobin on Flickr

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Filed Under: Recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tammy says

    August 18, 2011 at 12:42 PM

    mmmmmmmmmmmmmm…. looks good!!!

    Reply
  2. Primal Kitchen's Family Grokumentarian says

    August 18, 2011 at 5:35 PM

    Love the presentation here…will definitely use the next time I need a fancy appetizer. :)

    Reply
  3. Deb Parker says

    August 18, 2011 at 5:51 PM

    Looks beautiful and just screams Italian.

    Reply
  4. Bebe says

    August 18, 2011 at 7:21 PM

    I’m with the purists… vinegar just messes with a perfect thing.

    Reply
  5. Linda xo says

    August 18, 2011 at 9:33 PM

    This is one of my favorite mid-late summer treats. Unfortunately, tomato growth in my area this year wasn’t anything to sing about, so it’s off to the farmer’s market to buy from someone else. The up side is, the basil grew big n’ sexy, so we’ll have lots a pesto into the winter. Yea!

    Reply
  6. Christiana says

    August 19, 2011 at 10:04 AM

    Yummy! That looks delicious. So simple, but it looks perfect. My tomatoes have yet to come in, but I have a beautiful heirloom tomato on the counter. Thanks for the idea. I’m really enjoying your blog! :-)

    Reply
  7. Irene says

    August 19, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    We love this using buffalo mozzarella.

    Reply
  8. Melissa says

    August 19, 2011 at 8:05 PM

    I just recently tried this and it was yummy! It was part of our meal at a wedding reception.

    Reply
  9. ImaTo6 says

    August 20, 2011 at 5:52 PM

    One of my favorite lunches!! I was just lamenting today over the sad tomato situation in my garden… I *did* finally get one and it was delicious BUT it made me realize just what a bummer it is that I won’t be making many of these salads with my own tomatoes this year :-(

    Reply
  10. Kristy says

    January 18, 2013 at 3:40 PM

    What do you suggest eating it with? I’ve never had this before.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Caprese Omelette | CHEESESLAVE says:
    September 19, 2011 at 11:48 AM

    […] Italian omelette is based on the Insalata Caprese, or Caprese Salad, which is made of fresh basil, tomato, and […]

    Reply
  2. Nourishing Body & Soul ~ Bringing in the Harvest « Americancountrygirl's Blog says:
    September 19, 2011 at 4:42 PM

    […] With a lot of summer meals, it’s just sliced tomatoes with salt and a little pepper or a simple Caprese Salad.  But I came across a new fresh tomato recipe that I love this year.  I also grow sauce tomatoes […]

    Reply

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Cheeseslave
Welcome to my site. I’ve been blogging for over a decade about food and health. I also write about travel & restaurants, beauty & style, and home & garden. Visit my about  page.

 

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