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Cherry Tomato Salad with Mango and Lime Curry Vinaigrette

By David Pazmiño

Published on May 13, 2008

Time

40 minutes, plus 30 minutes salting

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Cherry Tomato Salad with Mango and Lime Curry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, ripe, quartered (about 4 cups) (see note)Table salt ½ teaspoon sugar 1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)4 teaspoons lime juice ¼ teaspoon curry powder 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Ground black pepper 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)½ cup toasted slivered almonds 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Before You Begin

If in-season cherry tomatoes are unavailable, substitute vine-ripened cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes from the supermarket. Cut grape tomatoes in half along the equator (rather than quartering them). If you don’t have a salad spinner, after the salted tomatoes have stood for 30 minutes, wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and gently shake to remove seeds and excess liquid. Strain the liquid and proceed with the recipe as directed. The amount of liquid given off by the tomatoes will depend on their ripeness. If you have less than 1/2 cup of juice after spinning, proceed with the recipe using the entire amount of juice and reduce it to 3 tablespoons as directed (the cooking time will be shorter).

Instructions

  1. Toss tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl; let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45 to 60 seconds, stirring to redistribute tomatoes several times during spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
  2. Bring 1/2 cup tomato liquid (discard any extra), shallot, lime juice, and curry powder to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to 1/8 teaspoon table salt.
  3. Add mango, almonds, dressing, and cilantro to bowl with tomatoes; toss gently and serve.
Cherry Tomato Salad with Mango and Lime Curry Vinaigrette
Photography by Daniel J. van Ackere. Styling by Kendra Smith.

Cherry Tomato Salad with Mango and Lime Curry Vinaigrette

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Time

40 minutes, plus 30 minutes salting

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, ripe, quartered (about 4 cups) (see note)
Table salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, ripe, quartered (about 4 cups) (see note)
Table salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

2 pints cherry tomatoes, ripe, quartered (about 4 cups) (see note)
Table salt
½ teaspoon sugar
1 medium shallot, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
4 teaspoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into ½-inch dice (about 1 ½ cups)
½ cup toasted slivered almonds
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

For a cherry tomato salad recipe that wasn’t soggy, it was necessary to get rid of some of the tomato juice without losing the flavor. So we quartered, salted, and drained the tomatoes before whirling them in a salad spinner to separate the seeds and jelly from the flesh. After we strained and discarded the seeds, we reduced the jelly to a flavorful concentrate, reuniting it with the tomatoes, minus the excess liquid.

Before You Begin

If in-season cherry tomatoes are unavailable, substitute vine-ripened cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes from the supermarket. Cut grape tomatoes in half along the equator (rather than quartering them). If you don’t have a salad spinner, after the salted tomatoes have stood for 30 minutes, wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and gently shake to remove seeds and excess liquid. Strain the liquid and proceed with the recipe as directed. The amount of liquid given off by the tomatoes will depend on their ripeness. If you have less than 1/2 cup of juice after spinning, proceed with the recipe using the entire amount of juice and reduce it to 3 tablespoons as directed (the cooking time will be shorter).

Instructions

  1. Toss tomatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar in medium bowl; let stand for 30 minutes. Transfer tomatoes to salad spinner and spin until seeds and excess liquid have been removed, 45 to 60 seconds, stirring to redistribute tomatoes several times during spinning. Return tomatoes to bowl and set aside. Strain tomato liquid through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible.
  2. Bring 1/2 cup tomato liquid (discard any extra), shallot, lime juice, and curry powder to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until reduced to 3 tablespoons, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer mixture to small bowl and cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes. Whisk in oil and pepper to taste until combined. Taste and season with up to 1/8 teaspoon table salt.
  3. Add mango, almonds, dressing, and cilantro to bowl with tomatoes; toss gently and serve.

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