Many many moons ago, just after the civil war in the Balkans my family decided it would be a brilliant time to test the waters and head to Croatia for a sailing holiday. This was long before Croatia became the holiday hotspot that it is today. We spent two weeks sailing Croatia’s preteen coastline with dolphins jumping in the bow waves most days we probably saw six other yachts on the whole trip (showing my age I know).
We would stop each night for dinner at the local beachside restaurants who would proudly hand you a rather extensive menu to have a look at before telling you that they had absolutely nothing on it. At which point we would laugh and say bring us what you have. It was in one of these restaurants serving Mama’s kitchen food that we were first introduced to what has become a staple in our kitchen “Croatian Tomato Salad”.
It was so divine that my Mum asked the Mama for her recipe and was humbled by its simplicity, it proves that the quality of your ingredients really does makes all the difference.
Last year my husband and I, together with Zoey drove the 5000km round trip from London to Dubrovnik for one of our best friends weddings (don’t ask to was one of those “great ideas at the time moments”).
The trip proved to be somewhat entertaining. Unsurprisingly the only thing I had on my mind was “Croatian” tomato salad. We drove the entire length of Croatia from top to toe and no one was able to reproduce the epic tomato salad from my childhood memory. Next time we will have to sail!
This is the our families version of “Croatian Tomato Salad”
Ingredients
- 6 of the ripest juiciest tomatoes you can find (big tomatoes)
- 10 vine-ripened plum tomatoes, finely sliced
- 6 spring onions
- 1/2 red onion quartered and finely sliced
- 1/2 a red pepper, finely sliced
- Hand full of coriander
- Olive oil, salt and pepper
Method
Mix all the ingredients together adding about 1.5 table spoons of olive oil and serve.
Top tip: This works best if you make it in the morning and let all the juices marinade together allowing the fullness of the flavour to light up in your mouth … I’m drawling just thinking about it!