If you like a southern tomato sandwich, then you'll fall head over heels for this 15-minute Southern Tomato Cracker Salad recipe!
Prep Time 15 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 4servings
Ingredients
3very ripe medium tomatoes
1cupmayonnaise
1/2shallotfinely minced
40saltine crackers(1 sleeve)
2tablespoonschivesfinely chopped
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Start by removing the core, or stem end) of the tomatoes and then cut each in half through the middle or "waist."
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.
Into the bowl with the diced tomatoes, add the minced shallot, half of the chives, black pepper, and mayonnaise. Fold together gently to combine.
Crumble the crackers creating mostly large pieces for the best texture.
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.