Although they’re often teeming with health benefits thanks to their nutrient-rich components, salads aren’t always a crave-curbing meal, necessitating a search for jazzy ingredients that make eating salad feel less like a chore and more like a chef-d’œuvre. Enter candied tomatoes, the sweet and savory salad crown that will reignite your passion for a good salad.
Candied tomatoes are tomatoes that have been slowly cooked until they develop a sweet, concentrated flavor, without the need for added sugar. Unlike candied nuts or other candied foods, which rely on sugar to create their sweet coating, candied tomatoes achieve their sweetness naturally through a slow caramelization process. This cooking method brings out the natural sugars in the tomatoes, facilitating a rich, tangy, and sweet transformation that marries harmoniously with savory, spicy, and creamy elements in a salad.
Candied tomatoes are particularly handy for foodies who have an aversion to the juicy consistency of ripe tomatoes, as they crisp up around the edges as they roast while maintaining an accessible degree of moisture. Although there are other low-hassle ways to zhzuh up a salad, topping yours with candied tomatoes is one of the most flavorful, simple, and surprising. After all, who expects such a bright burst of candy-kissed sweetness when biting into a garden-fresh tomato?
Tips for making candied tomatoes
Candied tomatoes are an easy-to-make ingredient that will give your salads a restaurant-style upgrade without the work of a head chef. But to get the most out of these sweet, bright, downright delights, you’ll want to keep a few handy tips in the back of your mind.
You can use just about any tomato you prefer, but cherry, grape, and plum tomatoes are the perfect size for a salad. Half the tomatoes before oven-baking them and drizzling them with olive oil and a pinch of salt. When using larger varieties, you may need to quarter them. Roast them with the cut side facing up. For a more dynamic flavor, consider introducing balsamic vinegar, thyme, or basil.
It’s helpful to note the difference between candied tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Candied tomatoes are achieved through caramelization at high temperatures for shorter periods of time. Sun-dried tomatoes, on the other hand, are achieved through solar or mechanical dehydration for an extended period of time, up to eight hours. A good rule of thumb for timing and temperature when making candied tomatoes is about 325 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours. Some foodies start at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and gradually lower the temperature at 30-minute intervals. Pro tip: larger tomatoes may need more time in the oven. You’ll know they’re done when the edges develop a crispy, golden-brown char.
Pairing candied tomatoes for a picture perfect salad
Candied tomatoes are versatile and pair well with many quintessential salad provisions. Whether you prefer something hearty and warm or light, cool, and summery, your options for assembling a salad around candied tomatoes are anything but limited.
Use candied tomatoes to top off a classic Cobb salad, where the sweet and tangy taste of the little red treats harmonize with the salty, umami-blasted taste of bacon and chicken breast. Candied tomatoes are also great for uplifting a quinoa, mixed greens, and steak salad, adding a dimension of freshness to the filling force of red meat — just don’t forget a creamy avocado dressing to top it off. Of course, you can never go wrong with a charcuterie-inspired salad featuring peppery arugula, fatty burrata cheese, prosciutto, grilled peach slices, and a top hat made of candied tomatoes.
For something light and zippy, a feta-topped cucumber and red onion salad really comes to life with candied tomatoes as the ingredients walk the line between refreshing and rich. Need a more filling lunch? Introduce the sweet, crusted tomatoes to a buttery, white-fish salad nestled atop a bed of lemon-kissed greens for the lunch of your dreams.
Don’t limit yourself, either. From simple house salads to canned tuna medleys, candied tomatoes are a powerhouse in just about any salad combination you can dream up.
