Sarah Tuck's Ugly Beautiful Tomato Salad
Photography by Sarah Tuck.
This is more than a philosophy than a recipe; it's more to do with not ignoring the uglies and weirdies amongst the fruit and veg brigade and having the faith to go out there and try those black or oddly long knobbly tomatoes, safe in the knowledge that they are delicious.
INGREDIENTS
3-4 tomatoes per person (depending on their sizes) at room temperature*
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
sea salt and black pepper
a handful of fresh basil leaves
METHOD
Once you have such lovely specimens, all you need to do is drizzle with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (I prefer white here as I find the dark a bit too much - I really want to taste the tomatoes). Then sprinkle over some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, toss on a few basil leaves and you're done.
This salad is lovely with grilled fish, chicken (or beef for that matter) or with some buffalo mozzarella and grilled ciabatta rubbed with a raw garlic clove.
Cook's tip: Please don't store those beautiful tomatoes in the fridge before they are ripe – use them as soon as they are perfect, or then store them in the fridge. Either way serve them at room temperature. As I'm sure you know, cold food has less flavour.

Keep up to date with
dish weekly recipes,
food news, and events.
latest issue:
Issue #119
Welcome to 2025 and a brand-new year of whipping up delicious recipe withdish! We start the year right with issue 119, jam-packed with easy, mouthwatering meals to make at home. From stunning salads to quick and tasty one-pan chicken dishes, to spectacular sweet treats. We have duos covered with our dinners for two, plenty of wonderful recipes for easy flavour-packed entertaining and make the most of the abundance of fresh seasonal produce. We finish off with a whistle-stop tour of South Australia’s wine country and a round-up of our top tipples from 2024. The latest issue of dish is on sale NOW at all good bookstores and supermarkets – don’t miss it!