Caprese Salad

Insalata Caprese

A simple summer salad from the island of Capri that lets a few perfect ingredients shine. The colours of tomato, mozzarella and basil are said to evoke the Italian flag.

Prep

10 min

Total

10 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Easy

Recipe ingredients

• •400 g (14 oz) ripe tomatoes, mixed heirlooms if possible (e.g. Cuore di Bue, San Marzano); room temperature
• •250 g (9 oz) fresh mozzarella di bufala, fior di latte or mozzarella di bufala Campana DOP; not the low-moisture ball variety
• •10 g (1 small bunch) fresh basil leaves, young, unblemished leaves only
• •30 ml (2 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil, good quality, cold-pressed; ideally from Campania
• •2 g (½ tsp) flaky sea salt, Sale di Trapani or Maldon
• •1 pinch black pepper, freshly cracked, optional

Steps

1. 1 Remove the mozzarella from the fridge 30–45 minutes ahead so it loses its chill and its flavours open up; drain any packing liquid and pat dry with a clean cloth.
2. 2 Wash the tomatoes, dry them, and slice them crosswise into rounds about 5 mm (¼ in) thick. Discard the hard stem end. If the tomatoes are very seedy, gently blot the cut faces with paper to avoid a watery salad.
3. 3 Slice the mozzarella into rounds roughly the same thickness as the tomatoes so each bite gets both.
4. 4 On a wide platter or on individual plates, alternate and slightly overlap slices of tomato and mozzarella in a single layer, fanning them out.
5. 5 Tuck whole basil leaves between the slices — usually 1 small leaf per tomato slice.
6. 6 Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the top in a slow, thin stream so it pools lightly rather than drowning the salad.
7. 7 Finish with a generous pinch of flaky sea salt scattered across the surface and a light grind of pepper if using. Serve immediately at room temperature with crusty bread to mop up the juices.