Caprese Salad

Insalata Caprese is the colours of the Italian flag on a plate: creamy mozzarella, sun-ripe tomatoes and fragrant basil, finished with peppery olive oil. There's no cooking and no dressing to fuss over. The whole thing hinges on the quality of three or four ingredients, so buy the best you can.

Caprese salad comes from the island of Capri, and its beauty is in the restraint. You slice, you layer, you drizzle, and that’s it. Because there’s nowhere to hide, everything rests on ripe tomatoes at room temperature, proper fresh mozzarella and basil picked at the last minute. Get those right and it’s one of the finest starters you can put on a table.

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe tomatoes — vine or beefsteak, at room temperature
• 250 g fresh mozzarella — buffalo mozzarella (mozzarella di bufala) if you can; drained
• 1 large handful fresh basil leaves
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil — a good, fruity one
• 0.5 tsp flaky sea salt
• 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar — optional, for drizzling

Method

1. Take the tomatoes and mozzarella out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before serving. Cold dulls the flavour, and Caprese is meant to be eaten at room temperature.
2. Slice the tomatoes into rounds about 5mm thick, discarding the tough core at the stem end. Lay them out and season lightly with a little of the flaky salt to draw out their sweetness.
3. Drain the mozzarella well and tear it into rough pieces, or slice it into rounds of a similar thickness to the tomatoes. Tearing gives more craggy surface for the oil to cling to.
4. Arrange the tomato and mozzarella on a serving plate, overlapping them in alternating layers so you get a bit of both in every forkful.
5. Tuck whole basil leaves in between the slices. Leave them whole rather than chopping, so they stay fragrant and don't bruise and blacken.
6. Drizzle the olive oil generously over the top, letting it pool a little on the plate.
7. Finish with the remaining flaky salt and a good grind of black pepper. Add the balsamic in a thin drizzle if using, then serve straight away.

Serve it with

• crusty ciabatta or focaccia to mop the plate
• a chilled glass of dry white wine
• cured meats like prosciutto or bresaola
• a bowl of marinated olives
• grilled courgettes or aubergine

Why this works

Salting the tomatoes and serving everything at room temperature wakes up their sweetness and acidity, while good fruity olive oil ties the creamy mozzarella and aromatic basil together into something far greater than its three parts.

Common swaps

• Burrata in place of mozzarella for an extra-creamy version
• Ripe cherry tomatoes halved, if large tomatoes are out of season
• A scatter of fresh oregano if you're short on basil
• Vegan mozzarella and a plant-based approach for a dairy-free plate

Common mistakes to avoid

• Using fridge-cold ingredients, which mutes all the flavour
• Reaching for hard, plastic-wrapped block mozzarella instead of the fresh kind in brine
• Under-ripe, watery supermarket tomatoes with no sweetness
• Drowning the delicate salad in thick, syrupy balsamic glaze

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Best eaten immediately. If you must keep leftovers, cover and refrigerate for up to a day, but bring back to room temperature before eating as the texture and flavour suffer when cold.

Allergen notes: contains Milk. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.