Fresh Tomato Salad With Feta, Pine Nuts, and Green Goddess

Are you staring at a pile of peak-season tomatoes and drawing a blank? This fresh tomato salad is the answer. Bite-sized tomatoes, salty feta, crunchy pine nuts, and fresh dill piled over a pool of creamy green goddess dressing with toasted baguette on the side. It looks like something a restaurant plated for you!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• It's a restaurant copycat featuring peak-season tomatoes you can pull off at home in 30 minutes!
• The layered plating makes it look stunning on the table with almost no effort.
• The dressing can be made up to 5 days ahead, so the salad itself comes together fast.
• The dressing ingredients are also measured by weight, so you can go straight from the scale to the blender with fewer dishes and less time.
• It works as a first course, a side dish, or a full dinner with the toasted bread.

Ingredients

For The Green Goddess Dressing

Note: Pictured is for a larger batch. For this salad, skip the lemon juice. Rice vinegar is the only acid you need here.

The full breakdown with sourcing notes lives on my green goddess dressing post, but here are the ones worth noting.

• Anchovy: One oil-packed fillet. It blends completely into the dressing and does not taste fishy. It adds a savory depth that makes the dressing taste like more than just a creamy herb sauce. Do not skip it.
• Fresh Tarragon: This is the herb that gives green goddess its distinctive character. It has a mild anise quality that sets it apart from every other creamy herb dressing. Fresh only. If you cannot find it, substitute fresh basil or extra chives.
• Rice Vinegar: Use unseasoned rice vinegar. It is a gentler acid than lemon juice, less potent, and less likely to tip the dressing into tangy territory. It lets the herbs lead.

For The Salad

• Tomatoes: Use the best tomatoes you can find. Peak-season heirlooms, beefsteaks, or a mix of cherry tomatoes all work. Cherokee Purple and Carbon tomatoes are my favorite slicing tomatoes. A mix of colors makes a beautiful platter. If it's not peak season, cherry tomatoes at the store taste better than out-of-season slicers, which tend to be bland and pale. One variety to skip: Roma-style tomatoes. Their skins are thick, and their texture is too dense for a raw salad. They are best left for cooking, like a marinara sauce or my roasted tomato paste.
• Pine Nuts: These add the crunch that makes this salad so different from a plain tomato plate. Toast them in a dry skillet and watch them closely. They go from pale to scorched very fast. Pull them off the heat the moment they are lightly golden and transfer them to a plate immediately. They keep cooking from residual heat if you leave them in the pan.
• Feta: Buy a block of feta packed in brine and crumble it yourself. Pre-crumbled feta is drier and less creamy.
• Fresh Dill: This is the finishing herb that lifts the whole dish. Cut just the tips into small pieces. A little goes a long way, so don't overdo it and don't substitute dried dill here. The fresh fronds have a brightness that dried cannot replicate.
• Maldon Sea Salt Flakes: Salt flakes are optional, but worth it. Their light, crunchy flakes add a finishing texture. You'll find it in the spice aisle or at Costco and Whole Foods.

Exploring more salad recipes on the site is a great way to find ideas for building a seasonal spread around this one.

Equipment

Food Scale (optional): I started making more salad dressings from scratch once I started using a food scale. You can go straight from the scale to the blender to save time and dirty dishes. I use a small-capacity scale for smaller measurements like salt, herbs, and spices, and this 11-pound OXO scale for most everything else.

Blender or Food Processor: The green color in the dressing comes from blending the fresh herbs. If you are using a 3-cup food processor, chop the garlic and fresh herbs before adding them to the bowl.

Broiler, Grill, or Toaster: If you want to serve this with toasted bread.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the dressing

Step 1: In a blender or food processor, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, anchovy, garlic, rice vinegar, parsley, chives, and tarragon.

Step 2: Blend or process until completely smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed. Transfer to a container with a lid. The dressing can be served immediately or chilled. It thickens as it sits in the refrigerator.

prep the salad components

Preheat the broiler or grill to high setting.

Step 3: Slice the tomatoes into bite-sized wedges. If using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. Spread them across your cutting board and sprinkle with kosher salt. Let them rest for 10 minutes. The salt draws out the liquid, which you will leave behind before plating.

Step 4: Slice the baguette into thin rounds, about ¼-inch thick. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the cut sides with olive oil.

Step 5: Toast under the broiler or on a hot grill for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned.

Step 6: Toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 5-7 minutes, tossing frequently. Remove them from the pan the moment they are lightly golden to prevent scorching.

to assemble

Step 7:  Spread half the green goddess dressing across a wide serving platter or shallow bowl. You want to see the dressing, not bury it.

Step 8: Lift the salted tomatoes from the cutting board and pile them onto the dressing, leaving their juices behind.

Step 9: Scatter the feta crumbles, toasted pine nuts, and fresh dill over the top. Drizzle with olive oil. Finish with flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step 10: Serve with toasted baguette slices on the side. Use a large spoon so each portion picks up tomatoes, dressing, and toppings together. Set extra dressing and Maldon sea salt on the table.

Make Ahead Instructions

Dressing: Make it up to 5 days ahead and store covered in the refrigerator. The flavor develops and improves with time as the herbs steep into the base.

Pine Nuts: Toast a few hours ahead and store at room temperature.

Bread: Toast the baguette slices up to 2 hours ahead. Store covered at room temperature.

Tomatoes: Slice and salt no more than 30 minutes before serving.

Storage Information

Dressing: Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks from when you made it, according to the FDA. Freezing is not recommended.

Assembled salad: Assemble right before serving. This does not store well past 30 minutes once it is put together.

Leftover dressing: It is a versatile sauce worth keeping around. Use it as a dip for raw vegetables, spread it on sandwiches, or spoon it over my sheet pan bone-in chicken breast right before serving.

FAQ

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