This tomato burrata salad with orange and balsamic roast plum is easy, elegant and full of summertime flavors.
It's only early February but already we're starting to see fresher spring produce in Amsterdam. The other day we went for a long walk to Westerpark and passed a Turkish grocer that was fully stocked with beautiful spring produce.
I grabbed a bunch of beautiful rainbow chard that I used to make Rainbow Chard Mediterranean Tuna Salad Wraps, lovely Tuscan kale for Tuscan Kale Soup with Fennel Sausage and Potatoes, the sweetest smelling fresh fava beans that I used to make Fresh Fava Beans in Tomato Sauce with Dill & Garlic.
And then there were the plums. Big, juicy, sweet plums that were perfectly ripe and so delicious. They're a perfect addition to a tomato burrata salad. Roasting the plums in balsamic vinegar does a lot to enhance their flavor, making them taste both brighter and sweeter as well as deeper, even bringing out some notes of plum butter.
Between the creamy burrata, fresh tomatoes, juicy naval orange segments and the big bursting flavor of the roast plums, this salad instantly transports you to summer. It's almost like you can feel the sunshine on your face 🙂
Ingredients
This salad is a bit of a mixture of two popular types of salad: tomato burrata salad and tomato orange salad.
There are a lot of directions you can take this combination so feel free to think of these ingredients as just a jumping-off point.
- Mixed color cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are nice for this recipe because they're already bite-sized and can keep their shape a bit better when cut in half. I like to cut them in half lengthwise so more of the inside is exposed. You can also substitute whole tomatoes either diced or even in slices.
- Naval orange: Naval orange adds bursts of juicy, bright flavor which plays nicely with the acidity and sweetness in the balsamic and tomatoes.
- Plum: The plum roasted in balsamic adds a lot of character and flavor.
- Pine nuts: Lightly toasted pine nuts add a textural element as well as a bit of sweetness and nuttiness. You can also sometimes find already toasted pine nuts.
- Burrata: Creamy burrata is perfect with tomato and is the great unifier here, adding a creamy base that harmonizes all the other flavors.
- Balsamic vinegar: Balsamic vinegar brings a sweet, deep and slightly acidic flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil: The finishing touch is a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt: A bit of salt is optional and depends on your taste. Some people might find the balsamic vinegar is enough, while others need a little sprinkle of salt. Personally I think a bit of salt is needed.
Variations
- Pesto: If you want to add a more savory or earthy element, fresh pesto would pair beautifully with these flavors.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh basil is a natural addition to tomato burrata salad but it would also be really nice with fresh mint.
- Greens: You can easily bulk up this salad by adding salad greens. Simple arugula would be nice or you can use a leafy green mix to add more variety.
Equipment
A non-stick skillet is helpful for toasting the pine nuts and then roasting the plum in balsamic.
Instructions
Cut the plum into either 4 segments or 8 segments. If it's super ripe it's better to keep thicker segments so they don't disintegrate while cooking.
Drizzle the cut plum with a tablespoon of balsamic, toss to coat and set aside.
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Toast the pine nuts, making sure to keep them moving constantly as they are very high in fat and can burn very quickly. Since they have a lot of fat, there's no need to add extra oil to the pan.
Once the pine nuts are lightly golden, remove them from pan and add a tablespoon of oil to the (still warm) pan.
Put the balsamic plum segments in the pan and gently sear each side to a golden brown color.
Remove the pan from heat and allow the plum to cook for 5 minutes or so while you assemble the rest of the salad.
Start by cutting the tomatoes and putting them in a bowl. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and set aside for now.
Prepare the orange by cutting it into slices, and then cutting the rind off each slice. Cutting the orange is better than using peeled segments because it exposes the juicy inside and lets those juices mix in with the oil and vinegar to make a nice dressing. The orange slices can go in the bowl with the tomatoes.
Serving Suggestion
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Recipe
Tomato Orange Salad with Burrata & Roast Plum
Ingredients
- 500 grams mixed cherry tomatoes about a lb or 2.5 cups
- 1 naval orange
- 1 plum
- 4 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 125 grams burrata
- 0.25 teaspoon salt optional
Instructions
- Cut the plum into 4 or 8 pieces. Drizzle with a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, toss to coat and set aside.
- Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the pine nuts and toast, moving constantly so they don't burn, until lightly brown (1-2 minutes). Remove from the pan and set aside to cool
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the still-warm skillet. Put in the plum segments and gently sear in each side until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Remove from pan and set aside to cool.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes lengthwise in half and put them in your salad bowl.
- Cut the orange into 8 segments, and then cut the peel off of each segment. Cut off any excess white membrane or peel and put the orange slices in the bowl with the tomatoes.
- Sprinkle the tomatoes and orange slices with salt (if using), mix gently and and then drizzle with another tablespoon each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Arrange the plum segments in the bowl and then sprinkle in the pine nuts. Place the burrata in the center.
- Serve with more balsamic and olive oil on the side.
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