Summer should be a great time for me to blog, but in fact, it’s the time of year I eat the simplest (often least creative) food. Meals are often composed salads – various cooked and raw veg piled on a plate together. Or a bunch of grilled things. Or more often that I’d like to admit, another tomato salad. Panzanella. Tomatoes with corn. Caprese. It goes on.

This salad is inspired by a great one I ate in Brooklyn in the early spring at Roberta’s, one of my favourite restaurants. My last meal might involve their take on a caesar salad (with candied nuts and mint – weird, but perfect), and one of their perfect pizzas. But this salad was the surprise hit – it featured green tomatoes, and croutons that had been tossed in everything bagel spice. It was so simple, and so perfect. As soon as my counter top was overflowing with in-season tomatoes, I knew I wanted to recreate it. It would be even more delicious with some fresh mozzarella or burrata, but is super satisfying on it’s own.

I’m going to try to make it a plan for the rest of the year to blog more regularly and write more, but for now, enjoy the tomatoes while we’ve got them.

tomato salad with everything bagel croutons

Cooking soundtrack: Mitzki – Be the Cowboy

You could call this a panzanella of sorts, except I prefer to keep the croutons on the crunchy side and not absorb too much of the liquid. As mentioned above, this could only be made better by some fresh mozzarella or burrata.

For the croutons:

  • 1 tsp poppy seeds
  • 1 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp onion flakes
  • pinch of sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups of bread cubes, 1/2 inch (from 1/2 a loaf of your favourite bread, I used De La Terre multi-grain sourdough)

The rest:

  • 1.5 pound of tomatoes – larger ones remove the cores and cut into quarters or sixths, smaller ones halve.
  • 2 cups of mixed greens (I used a mix of arugula and baby kale)
  • White wine vinegar
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Optional: fresh burrata, mozzarella, or avocado
  1. Make the croutons: preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix together the poppy, sesame seeds, onion flakes and salt. Place the bread cubes on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and everything bagel mix, and toss with your hands until well coated. Try to ensure as much of the mix is stuck to the croutons as possible.
  2. Bake the croutons for 15 minutes or until lightly brown, tossing 1-2 times throughout. Allow to cool completely.
  3. While croutons are baking, put greens in a bowl, drizzle with vinegar and olive oil, and toss with your hands (the best way). Top with tomatoes, season everything with salt and pepper. Sprinkle croutons on top, and serve.