This BBQ Side Dish Hack Will Impress Your Friends

mozzarella, caprese, Sungold tomatos

People always say “you eat with your eyes first,” for which I generally roll my eyes and mutter “douchbag” under my breath. But it really is true in many ways, and particularly when you have large groups of people hammering down plates of food at a backyard BBQ. Usually after the third glass of Rose no one can really get too caught up in the ‘flavor profile,” which incidentally is a term thats equally douchy. Enter this side dish hack.


This simple tomato and mozzarella salad is 100% reliant on the ingredients; you can’t really screw it up unless you buy crappy cheese or produce. We grow tomatoes in the backyard and pull them right off the vine before dinner, which I guess is in the “farm to table” realm, which by the way, is also a ridiculously douchy phrase. Any fresh mozzarella will do, simply cut it into 1/4 inch thick slices and overlap them on the plate. Throw a handful of cherry tomatoes on top.

Finish with olive oil and a vinegar of you choice, we used white wine vinegar and pickled (mild) jalepenos. Top with a healthy dose of sea salt and black pepper. If you have it, toss on some fresh basil and oregano (dry works also).

Make sure you do not put this in the refrigerator before serving , there is nothing more distasteful then “fridge tomatoes.”‘ Two slices of mozzarella feeds one person, so use that as a guide.   In terms of leftovers, disregard my previous statement about not putting this in the refrigerator.  Its great the next day, the oil seeps into the tomatoes and they somewhat cure from the vinegar, so the texture is completely different.   This will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 days, and has been known to be slathered on toast in the wee hours of the night.

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