Chef Colin Lynch’s Summer Tomato Salad
You can substitute any tender green herb for the mint. Some good options: basil, tarragon, savory, marjoram, or calaminth.
Photo Credit : Amy TraversoWhen our Weekends with Yankeecrew visited Cape Cod’s Chatham Bars Inn to film one of its lush summer farm dinners, we knew we were in for a treat. We had been invited to the property, which sits on the shores of Pleasant Bay, by two favorite chefs: Anthony Cole, the inn’s executive chef, and Colin Lynch, chef-owner of Boston’s award-winning Bar Mezzana, Shore Leave, and No Relation. The two friends would prepare the meal in tandem and serve it at long tables on the inn’s lawn at sunset.
Clearly, the cooking would be great and the views would be lovely. But we also knew that the produce would be coming right from the inn’s own farm, where farmer Joshua Schiff has transformed a sandy plot into a coastal Eden. The farm is best known for its spectacular tomatoes, so Lynch prepared the following salad to highlight their rich ripeness. He added the sweet notes of fresh nectarines, then tossed in cucumbers and mint. It was such a simple combination, but one so perfectly balanced that it quickly became a favorite salad to make at home. It takes only about 20 minutes to prepare, and you don’t even need to make a proper dressing: Just drizzle fresh lemon juice and some good olive oil, and you’re done!
Pro tip: Check out this simple hack that makes it quick and easy to halve batches of cherry tomatoes in minutes.
Yield:
6 servingsIngredients
4 cups (2 pints) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced crosswise
2 nectarines pit removed and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup mint leaves (large leaves torn in half)
1 cup crumbled feta or stracciatella cheese
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, toss the tomatoes with the cucumbers and nectarines. Drizzle with lemon juice and toss, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss again. Divide evenly among six serving plates. Top with the cheese and sprinkle with mint leaves. Finish with sea salt and a nice glug of olive oil. Serve immediately.