Food and Recipes Veggies Tomatoes Marinated Tomato-and-Herb Salad Sweltering Southern summers are the inspiration for some of our most refreshing dishes. When it's too hot to cook, we look to our farmers' market baskets and get creative. Bought extra watermelon? Make a gazpacho. Corn too fresh to pass up? Whip up a simple Black Bean and Corn Salsa to go with your porch margarita. But our favorite ingredient to play with on a hot summer day? A fresh, juicy tomato.Colorful summertime tomatoes are the base of some of reader-favorite seasonal dishes. You can smoke 'em, roast 'em, fry 'em, or just simply slice and salt 'em. One surefire way to infuse them with flavor is to marinate them. Try soaking heirloom tomatoes at home in a homemade vinaigrette at room temperature for 20 minutes. This allows them to release their juices, absorb the favors, and break down to become more tender.Once marinated, let these tangy heirloom tomatoes steal the show in a simple summer salad that's perfect to serve on the patio, at a picnic, or just because. Simply combine the heirlooms with beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, sea salt, and fresh herbs. Ten minutes of slicing, drizzling, sprinkling, and arranging later, and you'll have created a cool side dish, no oven or heat needed. With this much color, we wouldn't be surprised if our Marinated Tomato-and-Herb Salad outshines any summertime main it's served alongside. By Southern Living Test Kitchen Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on May 8, 2020 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Anna Hampton; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 10 mins Yield: 4 serves Ingredients Marinated Tomatoes 1 large beefsteak tomato (7 oz.), cut into ½-inch-thick slices 1 cup halved heirloom cherry tomatoes ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt ½ cup torn mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley, basil, dill, and chives), loosely packed Directions Gently remove Marinated Tomatoes from marinade, reserving marinade. Arrange Marinated Tomatoes on a serving platter with beefsteak tomato, and heirloom cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with reserved marinade, sprinkle with flaky sea salt, and top with mixed fresh herbs. Print