Heirloom Tomato & Feta Salad with Herb Garlic Croutons

6 days ago
3 min read

This feta, tomato and olive salad with garlic croutons is the Mediterranean summer salad you'll make on repeat — ripe tomatoes, briny Kalamata olives, creamy feta, and shatteringly crisp herb croutons.

by: HF KITCHEN

The Salad That Needs Nothing More Than the Best Tomatoes You Can Find

There is a particular kind of salad that requires no apology, no elaborate technique, and no lengthy introduction. This is that salad. At its heart, it asks only one thing of you — find the best tomatoes available, and let them lead. The rest follows naturally: Kalamata olives with their deep, fruity brine, generous cubes of sheep's milk feta that hold their shape against the weight of a good vinaigrette, fresh herbs torn rather than chopped, and garlic croutons that arrive at the table still warm from the oven. Together they make something that is at once deeply familiar and quietly impressive — the kind of dish that disappears before anything else on the table does.

This is Mediterranean cooking at its most honest. No shortcuts, no substitutions worth making, and absolutely no reason to wait for a dinner party to serve it.

Heirloom Tomato & Feta Salad with Herb Garlic Croutons

INGREDIENTS

500 grams heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved
0.8 cups pitted Kalamata olives
200 grams sheep's milk feta, cut into generous cubes
0.5 red onion, very thinly sliced
0.3 cups fresh basil leaves
0.3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
0.5 teaspoons dried oregano
1 pinch flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper
3 cups sourdough or rustic bread, torn into rough pieces
2 garlic cloves, smashed
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for croutons)
2 fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs
1 pinch flaky sea salt (for croutons)

STEPS

Make the garlic croutons: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Toss 3 cups sourdough or rustic bread, torn into rough pieces, with 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (for croutons), 2 garlic cloves, smashed, and 2 fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs on a baking sheet. Season with 1 pinch flaky sea salt (for croutons) and spread in a single layer. Roast until deeply golden and crisped at the edges — they should shatter lightly when pressed.

Make the vinaigrette: Whisk together 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove, minced, and 0.5 teaspoons dried oregano. Season generously with 1 pinch flaky sea salt and cracked black pepper. Taste — it should be bright and assertive, the kind of dressing that wakes everything up.

Build the salad: Arrange 500 grams heirloom or cherry tomatoes, halved across a wide, shallow serving platter. Scatter over 0.5 red onion, very thinly sliced, and 0.8 cups pitted Kalamata olives. Tuck 200 grams of sheep's milk feta, cut into generous cubes, among the tomatoes — keep the pieces generous rather than crumbled; you want distinct pockets of creaminess. Drizzle the vinaigrette over everything and let it rest for 10 minutes so the tomatoes release their juices into the dressing.

Finish and serve: Pile the warm garlic croutons across the salad just before serving. Tear 0.3 cups fresh basil leaves and 0.3 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn over the top. Add a final drizzle of olive oil and a few extra grinds of black pepper. Serve immediately — the contrast of warm croutons against cool, juiced tomatoes is the whole point.

Notes: For the best salad: Use the ripest tomatoes you can find — heirloom varieties at peak season are ideal. If using larger tomatoes, cut them into irregular wedges rather than uniform slices; the imperfection is beautiful. Sheep's milk feta holds its shape far better than the cow's milk version and delivers a cleaner, tangier flavour. Make it a meal: Add a cup of white beans or a handful of peppery arugula to turn this into a satisfying lunch. Get ahead: Croutons can be made up to two days in advance and stored in an airtight container. Make the dressing the morning of — it only improves with time.