Tomato and fried crouton salad with tonnato and capers

Name: Tomato and fried crouton salad with tonnato and capers recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tbs olive oil, plus extra if needed; 2 tbs salt-packed capers, rinsed and dried; 1/2 country sourdough loaf, crust removed; 800g mixed heirloom tomatoes; 1 bunch basil, leaves picked; 100g good-quality olive oil-packed tinned tuna; 3 anchovy fillets; 1 tbs salt-packed capers, rinsed; 1 egg yolk; 90ml extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tsp soy sauce; 2 tbs lemon juice; 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce; 3 tbs pure (thin) cream

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by Danielle Alvarez

Dec 08, 2020

This tomato salad is the bright addition you need at any summer get-together. This is an edited extract from Always Add Lemon by Danielle Alvarez (Hardie Grant, $50). Photography © Benito Martin and Jess Johnson.

2 tbs olive oil, plus extra if needed
2 tbs salt-packed capers, rinsed and dried
1/2 country sourdough loaf, crust removed
800g mixed heirloom tomatoes
1 bunch basil, leaves picked

Tonnato

100g good-quality olive oil-packed tinned tuna
3 anchovy fillets
1 tbs salt-packed capers, rinsed
1 egg yolk
90ml extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tbs lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs pure (thin) cream

Method

1.

For the tonnato, add your tuna, anchovies, capers and egg yolk to a food processor. Put the lid on and process. Once it looks like everything is broken up a little, begin to stream in the olive oil. When it starts to thicken, add the soy sauce, lemon juice and Worcestershire, then the remaining olive oil. Finish with the cream and a bit of water to loosen it to a thick but drizzly consistency. Add a few cracks of fresh black pepper and check and adjust the seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2.

To make the salad, heat the olive oil in a small sauté pan over a high heat and add the dry capers. Ensure they are as dry as you can make them to avoid too much splatter. Allow the capers to sizzle a little and, when they have almost finished sizzling (meaning most of the water has evaporated), scoop them out and dry them on a piece of paper towel. Reserve the oil.
3.

Tear bread into rough pieces and add to the pan. Use the caper oil and some more olive oil, if needed, to shallow-fry croutons over medium heat. You want to fry the bread on a couple of sides, but you don’t want it to be completely crispy. You want a bit of soft chew with a crusty exterior. Try to do this in one layer so that you don’t overcrowd the pan. This might mean you need to do it in a couple of batches. Season croutons with salt and pepper.
4.

Spread the tonnato on the plate first, then cut up the tomatoes into thick slices and arrange on top. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Scatter the croutons over the top. Finish with fried capers and fresh picked basil leaves. Serve immediately.