Southern Tomato Cracker Salad

What You’ll Like About This Recipe

• It’s a great way to use fresh summer tomatoes!
• Tastes like a tomato sandwich in a bowl.
• It’s one of those great old southern heritage recipes that people still enjoy.

Ingredient Notes

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• Ripe Fresh Tomatoes – Look for medium sized tomatoes that are completely ripe. They should be very bright in color but with no bruising or soft spots. I often use Romas for this recipe because they’re less “juicy” than other varieties. Heirloom tomato varieties make a really beautiful salad but they’re more expensive unless you grow them yourself.
• Mayonnaise – Homemade mayonnaise is always best but, of course, most of us purchase it. I recommend Duke’s brand in the south and Hellman’s if you don’t have access to Duke’s.
• Shallot – I love the flavor of shallots in this recipe. They’re like a mild, sweet onion with a hint of garlic. However, they can be a bit pricey so feel free to substitute with red onion if you like.
• Saltine Crackers – You’ll need one “sleeve” (that’s about 40) of plain old Nabisco saltines. No need to try to be fancy with this recipe.
• Chives – Cut the chives very finely. You can also substitute very finely chopped green onions.
• Kosher Salt and Black Pepper – You won’t need much salt because of the crackers. I like quite a bit of ground black pepper for this.

Variations and Substitutions

• Some cooks include a few chopped, hard boiled eggs in the recipe.
• You can easily substitute the shallot and chives with finely diced green onions if you like.
• Use halved cherry tomatoes.

How to Make Southern Tomato Cracker Salad

Prepare the Tomatoes

STEP 1. Start by removing the core (or stem end) of the tomatoes and then cut each in half through the middle or “waist.” 

STEP 2. Working over a medium bowl or into the sink, press each tomato half gently to get rid of most of the seeds and juice.

Pro Tip

You don’t have to remove every drop, but try to extract most of the juice to keep the salad from being soggy. It also helps to leave the tomato halves to drain with the cut side down on a paper towel for a few minutes.

Crumble the Crackers and Mix the Salad

STEP 5. Crumble the crackers, creating mostly large pieces for the best texture.

STEP 6. Add the broken saltine crackers to the bowl with the tomato mixture and fold gently to combine.

Pro Tip

Notice the size of the cracker pieces in the photo? You want them to be fairly large pieces. If you crumble them too small the whole salad will turn out mushy. That’s not what you want 😊.

STEP 7. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Garnish and Serve

STEP 8. Garnish with the reserved tomatoes and remaining chives.

STEP 9. Serve immediately. For best taste and texture, this salad should be mixed and served immediately. 

Recipe

Southern Tomato Cracker Salad

If you like a southern tomato sandwich, then you'll fall head over heels for this 15-minute Southern Tomato Cracker Salad recipe!

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Salads, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Cuisine: Southern, Vintage

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 278kcal

Author: Lana Stuart

Ingredients

• ▢ 3 very ripe medium tomatoes
• ▢ kosher salt to taste
• ▢ 1/2 shallot finely minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chives finely chopped
• ▢ ground black pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 40 saltine crackers (1 sleeve)

Instructions

• Start by removing the core, or stem end) of the tomatoes and then cut each in half through the middle or “waist.”
  3 very ripe medium tomatoes
• Working over a medium bowl or into the sink, press each tomato half gently to get rid of most of the seeds and juice.
• Dice the tomatoes. Place the diced tomatoes in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle lightly with salt. Remove a few tablespoons of diced tomatoes for garnish and set them aside.
  kosher salt to taste
• Into the bowl with the diced tomatoes, add the minced shallot, half of the chives, black pepper, and mayonnaise. Fold together gently to combine.
  1/2 shallot, 2 tablespoons chives, ground black pepper to taste, 1 cup mayonnaise
• Crumble the crackers creating mostly large pieces for the best texture.
  40 saltine crackers
• Add the broken saltine crackers to the bowl with the tomato mixture and fold gently to combine.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
• Garnish with the reserved tomatoes and remaining chives.
• Serve immediately.

Notes

• This salad is best mixed and served immediately. Leftovers do not store well.
• When preparing the tomatoes, try to extract most of the juice to keep the salad from being soggy. It also helps to leave the tomato halves to drain with the cut side down on a paper towel for a few minutes.
• Make sure that the pieces of crumbled crackers are fairly large to keep the best texture in the salad. Crumbling them too small will result in a mushy salad.
• Look for medium sized tomatoes that are completely ripe. They should be very bright in color but with no bruising or soft spots. I often use Romas for this recipe because they’re less “juicy” than other varieties. Heirloom tomato varieties make a beautiful salad but are more expensive.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1servingCalories 278kcalCarbohydrates 32gProtein 4gFat 15gSaturated Fat 2gPolyunsaturated Fat 9gMonounsaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0.2gCholesterol 9mgSodium 750mgPotassium 296mgFiber 2gSugar 5gVitamin A 873IUVitamin C 14mgCalcium 21mgIron 2mg

Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.

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