Garden-fresh tomatoes combine with saltine crackers, mayo (y’all know Duke’s is my brand of choice), and some salt and pepper to create a dish that my family has been enjoying for as long as I can remember. If you love the flavors of the classic tomato sandwich, then chances are you’re going to love this too.
Now I’ll admit, at first, folks look a little sideways at this one. I even garnered a few negative reviews on my cookbook because of this recipe. I mean, it’s tomatoes, crackers, salt, and pepper. I get it. It’s super basic and little strange. But you have to look a little bit beyond the individual ingredients and see this as a whole. Imagine that beloved, coveted tomato sandwich… except in delicious salad form.
A few things to keep in mind…
This dish is best served immediately. The water content of the tomatoes and the mayo turn this dish soggy fast, so I like to make this at the absolute last minute. But it’s super quick to toss together, so that’s not usually a problem.
Sometimes I’ll cut up my tomatoes and spread them out on paper towels just to allow them to wick a little moisture out to buy a little more time.
I never saw my mom seed a tomato. Ever. But I find this to be better without the seeds. It’s an extra step, but I think it’s worth it. But you do you. 🙂
Fresh, in-season tomatoes are best in this. Heirloom tomatoes are even better.
Recipe Card
Tomato Cracker Salad
Ingredients
- 4 medium garden-fresh tomatoes
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 1 sleeve saltine crackers, coarsely broken
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Seed and coarsely chop the tomatoes. In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes and and mayonnaise. Add the broken crackers and toss lightly to coat. Add salt and generous amounts of black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
