Tomates à la Provençale

[The Get Out of the Way Remix]

Peak heirloom tomatoes, room temperature, dressed with thinly sliced shallots, fresh tarragon, red wine vinegar, and the best olive oil you have. The tomato does all the work — this salad just asks you to get out of the way.

Ingredients

2 lbs (900g) peak heirloom tomatoes, mixed varieties and colors
2 medium shallots, very thinly sliced into rings
1/4 cup (10g) fresh tarragon leaves, loosely packed
2 tbsp (30ml) red wine vinegar
1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
Flaky sea salt (Maldon or fleur de sel) to finish
Freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Steps

Prep:

Remove tomatoes from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving — cold tomatoes have muted flavor and a mealy texture. Room temperature is non-negotiable here. Slice tomatoes thickly (about 1/2 inch / 1.25cm) and arrange overlapping on a wide, shallow platter. Use a mix of colors and sizes if available — the variety makes the dish.

Dress:

Scatter the thinly sliced shallots evenly over the tomatoes. Drizzle red wine vinegar over the top first, then follow with a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil. The order matters — vinegar on first allows it to season the tomatoes before the oil coats everything. Season generously with flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Rest:

Let the dressed salad sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. This allows the shallots to soften slightly in the vinegar, the salt to draw out the tomato juices, and everything to come together into a light, self-made dressing pooling at the bottom of the platter.

Finish:

Scatter fresh tarragon leaves over the top just before bringing to the table. Serve with good crusty bread alongside to soak up the tomato-vinegar-oil that has pooled on the platter — that liquid is the best part.

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Make it Good For The Gut

This salad is already a polyphenol powerhouse — heirloom tomatoes are rich in lycopene and vitamin C, and the extra virgin olive oil contains oleocanthal, a natural anti-inflammatory compound with effects comparable to ibuprofen. To deepen the gut-health benefit, add a small spoonful of raw apple cider vinegar with the mother alongside the red wine vinegar — it brings probiotic enzymes and digestive support. The shallots are a prebiotic source that feeds beneficial gut bacteria. For an additional anti-inflammatory layer, finish the platter with a few grinds of fresh black pepper — piperine increases the bioavailability of lycopene and other antioxidants by up to 20%.

Remix Options

Burrata Addition: Place one ball of fresh burrata in the center of the platter before dressing. The cream that pours out when broken becomes part of the dressing — pure Provençal decadence. Anchovy Depth: Lay 4-6 best-quality anchovy fillets across the tomatoes before adding shallots. They dissolve into the dressing and add a savory umami depth that is classic in the south of France. Niçoise Spin: Add 1/2 cup (80g) good-quality olives (Niçoise or Castelvetrano), 2 hard-boiled pasture-raised eggs quartered, and a handful of green beans blanched and shocked. Turns the salad into a near-complete course. Herb Variation: Substitute or combine fresh basil with the tarragon for a more Italian-leaning profile. Both are correct. Shallot-Free: For those sensitive to raw alliums, slice shallots paper-thin and soak in the red wine vinegar for 15 minutes first — it pickles them slightly, mutes the bite, and makes them easier to digest while keeping all the flavor. Champagne Vinegar Version: Swap red wine vinegar for champagne vinegar for a lighter, more delicate acid note that lets the tomato flavor come further forward.

Good To Know

Temperature is Everything: Refrigeration converts the sugars in tomatoes and mutes their volatile aromatic compounds — the molecules responsible for that unmistakable fresh tomato smell and flavor. A cold tomato is a diminished tomato. Take them out of the fridge first, before anything else in the recipe. Tomato Selection: This is one of the few recipes where ingredient quality is the recipe. Seek out heirlooms at a farmers market in peak season (July through September in most of North America). Varieties like Brandywine, Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, or Sun Gold cherry tomatoes bring different flavor profiles — acidity, sweetness, earthiness — that make the platter more interesting. Knife Technique: Slice with a sharp serrated knife to avoid compressing the tomato and losing its juice onto the cutting board. The juice belongs on the platter. Olive Oil: Use the best extra virgin olive oil you have. This is a finishing oil application — it’s never heated — so the grassy, peppery quality of a high-quality EVOO comes through directly. A great bottle of oil makes this dish. A mediocre one makes it ordinary. Serving: This salad does not keep. Assemble it no more than 15 minutes before serving. The tomatoes release liquid quickly and the tarragon wilts. Make it fresh, bring it to the table immediately. The Pooled Dressing: The tomato juices, vinegar, and olive oil that accumulate on the platter by the end of the meal are extraordinary. Soak them up with bread, or tip the platter and reserve the liquid to dress greens the next day.