Homegrown tomatoes, at their peak of ripeness, mayonnaise, saltine crackers and fresh cracked black pepper.  Tomato Cracker Salad is reminiscent of a good, ‘ol fashioned tomato mayo sandwich!

So, if you have never heard of Tomato Cracker Salad, like I hadn’t, you might think it sounds a little crazy.  I was kind of skeptical, too.  But have you ever noticed that sometimes things that seem odd, turn out to be the best things?

Have you ever eaten a tomato mayo sandwich? You know the kind on soft white bread, with mayo and tomatoes from the yard?  Just a sprinkle of cracked black pepper and its heaven.   That is what this salad reminds me of.  

 

 

This week, I decided to share all sorts of tomato recipes to use all of those tomatoes you are snagging at the Farmer’s Market or right out of your own back yard.  There really isn’t anything that tastes more like summer to me than homegrown tomatoes.  I can eat them and eat them.  Salt and pepper is all I need.  Don’t even get me started on how much I love BLT’s!! I never get tired of them.  

 

I kicked off the week with a Tomato Pie.  Under that cheesy goodness is a flaky crust with tomato slices, fresh basil, and green onion.  It’s completely luscious, and a must make for summertime.  

 

On Friday, I am sharing this Fresh Tomato Bruschetta.  It’s delicious scooped onto sliced baguette as an appetizer, over pasta as a Pomodoro, or even over grilled chicken.  Stay tuned for that one!

 

But today though, we are here for this Tomato Cracker Salad.  It doesn’t get much simpler, does it? The saltine crackers are added in right before serving the salad. In my opinion, they give just the right amount of salt to the tomatoes, but of course, you can add more if you feel it needs it.  

 

 

What four ingredients do I need for Tomato Cracker Salad?

• Tomatoes – choose red, ripe flavorful tomatoes.  
• Mayonnaise – don’t use Miracle Whip, only real mayo.  
• Saltine Crackers –  don’t buy the ones without salt, get the salted kind.
• Black Pepper – I love to grind my own with a pepper mill.

 

All it takes is dicing your tomatoes, stirring in the mayo, then right before you serve it, add in the crushed saltine crackers and cracked pepper.  I refrigerated my tomatoes before I made it.  I prefer this salad cold, but you can eat it either way.  

 

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Where did this Saltine and Tomato Salad originate?  Well, this beauty originated in the South, where so many wonderful recipes do.  Aside from some adding green onions to it, there really aren’t too many variations.  I went with the basics, because why mess with a good thing?  It’s quick to whip up when you need a side dish that goes with almost anything.  

You definitely want to make sure to eat it right after you put the saltines in.  You don’t want them to get soggy.  This recipe made enough for our family of six as a side salad.  

 

 

Other Must-Try Salads that Use Fresh Tomatoes:

• Deconstructed Guacamole Salad
• Tomato & Cucumber Salad
• Italian Bean Salad
• Marinated Vegetable Salad
• Fresh Tomato and Burrata Salad

 

 

 

My mouth is watering! Let’s get to the recipe!

 

original recipe from Southern Bite