Tomatoes with Thai Basil Dressing
Although this may look like just a simple platter of sliced tomatoes with a dressing, it’s so much more than that. A delicious Thai Basil dressing is made in a quick few minutes and drizzled over plump tomatoes, leaving you with the perfect appetizer or side dish. It’s a no-cook, low-carb and gluten-free recipe that requires only 10 minutes and 5 ingredients.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Tomatoes with Thai Basil Dressing
Summer is the time we want to maximize our chillaxin’ time and minimize our stress and efforts in the kitchen. So I am with you–I want these quick and easy recipes too, hence this Thai Tomato Salad with Thai Basil Vinaigrette.
Luckily for us, tomatoes and so many other great fruits and vegetables are best during summertime, which means you barely have to do anything to them. Usually, some quality extra-virgin olive oil, flakey kosher salt, and freshly ground pepper is enough (whether you eat them raw or cooked).
Seriously, my haricot verts from my garden are so sweet and delicious. Last night for dinner, all I did was steam them for a couple of minutes. Although I do love olive oil, salt and pepper, I served them with our dinner completely plain. I just didn’t think they needed anything! That my friends, is the magic of seasonality.
The ingredient notes section for this Tomato Salad with Thai Dressing is short, simply because there are only 5 ingredients: the dressing is fine with regular Italian Sweet basil. But man-oh-man, the Thai basil makes this so special tasting. It has a little coconuty thing going on that you’ll love! And the splash of fish sauce will explode in your mouth. Just sayin’ that since I know you all are looking at me like, really? Fish sauce? Trust. Me. It. Is. GOOD!
It’s the perfect side dish to serve during the summer alongside simply grilled Chuck Eye Steaks (for example). Turn on the grill, whip-together an easy side dish like this tomato salad with Thai basil dressing and you’re done!
Key Ingredients For This Recipe
Thai basil leaves
If you’ve never purchased Thai basil before, you can usually find it in well-stocked grocery stores or Asian or other international markets. Unlike Italian basil (which you’re probably more familiar with), Thai basil has a slightly spicy and licorice-like flavor. If you can’t find Thai basil, you could use regular basil instead but it won’t pack the same flavor-punch. If you do use regular basil, add some chopped cilantro as well.
Thai fish sauce
Thai fish sauce is a very common ingredient in Thai cooking. It’s amber in color and has a very a salty, briny and fishy flavor. Since it’s fairly pungent, start with less when cooking with it for the first time to discover if you like the taste or not. Other than this recipe, Thai fish sauce is perfect for stir-fries, curries, and even non-Asian dishes. If you can’t find Thai fish sauce you can experiment with soy sauce, coconut aminos or oyster sauce.
Additional Ingredients
- 2 tablespooons best quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 pound tomatoes
Instructions For These Thai Tomatoes
- Puree ½ cup basil, olive oil, rice vinegar and fish sauce in a food processor, mini prep or blender.
- Slice tomatoes and arrange on a medium platter.
- Drizzle dressing over the tomatoes and garnish with basil leaves if desired.
FAQs and Expert Tips
Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 to 3 days. The tomatoes will continue to release juices, so the sooner you eat them the better.
Although this recipe is incredibly quick, you can prep ahead of time by making the dressing. Make the Thai dressing and transfer it to a sealable jar. Store it in the fridge until it’s ready to use, then slice up the tomatoes and serve.
No! You can use whichever tomatoes you’d like. Use red tomatoes, yellow tomatoes, or heirloom tomatoes. Just make sure they’re nice and plump!
Regular tomatoes are grown for their appearance, while heirloom tomatoes are grown for flavor. They’re best in salads such as this one or eaten with mozzarella, olive oil and salt.
Tomato and Thai Recipes You’ll Love
- Here is an easy-going recipe for a Tomato and Anchovy Salad with basil, olives and avocado. It’s so delicious!
- This luscious Tomato and Green Bean Salad with Goat Cheese is the perfect summertime side dish!
- Here is an easy and incredibly tasty recipe for Yellow and Red Tomato Pico de Gallo or fresh salsa. It is low carb, vegan, gluten-free.
- This Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Coconut Soup is loosely based on the classic Thai soup- Tom Kha Gai. You’ll love it.
- This vegan Thai pumpkin Soup Recipe comes together in 15 minutes—really!
- If you’re cooking steak soon you must try my Thai Coconut Grilled Lime Skirt Steak.
- One of my favorites are these Thai-style fish cakes with herbal salad.
- Here’s a quick guide to peeling and seeding tomatoes.
Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!
Happy Cooking! ~Katie
PrintTomatoes with Thai Basil Dressing
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
5 ingredient tomato salad with Thai basil dressing. Ready in just 10 minutes. Gluten-free and no-cook.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup loosely packed clean Thai basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespooons best quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Thai fish sauce
- 1 1/2 pound tomatoes
Instructions
- Puree ½ cup basil, olive oil, rice vinegar and fish sauce in a food processor, mini prep or blender. Slice tomatoes and arrange on a medium platter. Drizzle dressing over the tomatoes and garnish with basil leaves if desired.
Notes
Make Ahead:
Although this recipe is incredibly quick, you can prep ahead of time by making the dressing. Make the Thai dressing and transfer it to a sealable jar. Store it in the fridge until it’s ready to use, then slice up the tomatoes and serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 92
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 16 mg
- Fat: 7 grams
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
Love this idea for the thai dressing!!
I love the simplicity of this recipe but it’s also crazy delicious too. Thank you!
What a wonderful use for summertime tomatoes and basil, and a refreshing change from the typical caprese. I’ve pinned this for the weekend!
I really love this recipe. Wanted to let you know that I featured it in my monthly round-up of 25 Deliciously Healthy Low-Carb Recipes. I hope a lot of my readers will come over here and try it!
Thank you Kalyn! So honored and glad you found this one. It is a keeper. I’ll have to pop over to see what else in in your line-up.
#stupideasy is now my new favorite hashtag. #forserious
This salad may be simple, but it is stunning and the dressing sounds perfect for these last fleeting days of summer when we should be outside and not at the stove!
Yes! Exactly Lindsey! Thank you for coming by. Enjoy your day.
Wow! SO beautiful. Almost to much so to eat! But I’d dive right in! Awesome post, Katie!
Thank you Bill. Never too beautiful to eat! Lol.
#stupideasy is just about ALL I can handle these days with all the wedding stuff I’m drowning in, so this recipe is right up my alley 🙂
Ha, yes I am with you and I am not planning a wedding.
wow.. love the colours! that dressing looks divine too, definitely recreating it in my kitchen!
So glad to hear it Thalia. I hope you enjoy it!
Oh. Yum. I really love simple AND Thai flavors 🙂
Simple is always appreciated, but at this time of year most definitely! As always Anne, thank you so much for coming by and leaving a comment.
I want an entire plate of this, all to myself. It looks divine!
I am with you Amanda. When it comes to veggie dishes like this I am all in. Lol.
That salad looks so beautiful and vibrant! It’s definitely the perfect thing to make with the first fresh backyard tomatoes. 🙂 Yay!
I can’t wait for my tomatoes from my garden to come in. In the meantime, I am splurging on them at the markets.
I love this idea! I haven’t seen any thai basil around yet, but I’m definitely trying this with Italian basil for now!
Oh good! Please let me know if you like it Lisa. I would love a review with the Italian sweet basil instead. We all loved the Thai basil here.
I made this the other day with Italian, and it tasted great! I couldn’t believe how well the fish sauce worked in this!
We have Thai basil growing this year – LOVE what you did with it!!
Thank you Liz. It jumped into my cart at the market. I had no plan for it but it looked so fresh and delicious.
These photos are gorgeous!
Thank you so much Barbara. I appreciate the compliment, and that you came by:)
One of the best parts of summer is that, because the produce is so good, simple is definitely the way to go! I love Thai basil, so this dressing sounds absolutely ideal for sprucing up some tomatoes!
Thanks so much Joanne. I agree. I love to simplify everything in the kitchen in the summer. By fall I will be recharged and ready to cook more complicated meals, but for now I am going to enjoy the simple delicious ingredients as is.