Heirloom Tomato and Grilled Squash Salad with Makrut Lime Dressing
This heirloom tomato salad goes beyond the usual variety that’s simply sprinkled with olive oil, salt and balsamic vinegar. Makrut lime leaves (available at many Asian markets) have a distinctive flavor that goes surprisingly well with tomatoes. Use the dressing on just about anything, including grilled chicken or shrimp, cooked crab meat, steamed green beans and grilled asparagus. Avocado squash is great in this dish, but yellow squash or zucchini works well, too. And if you’d rather not grill the squash, leave it out and just serve the dressing over the tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped
- 4 green onions, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 jalapeño chile, or to taste
- 2 fresh makrut lime leaves, finely sliced, or zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1 Tbs. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) rice wine vinegar
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 cup (6 fl. oz./180 ml) canola oil
- Kosher salt
- 2 lb. (1 kg) summer squash, cut into wedges or slices
- 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) olive oil
- 2 1/2 lb. (1.25 kg) mixed heirloom tomatoes, trimmed and stemmed as necessary, and halved or cut into wedges depending on their size
- Handful of fresh herbs, such as cilantro leaves, mint and chives
Directions
In a blender, combine the garlic, green onions, jalapeño, makrut lime leaves, ginger and vinegar and puree until smooth. Add the egg yolk and blend until smooth. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the canola oil until the dressing is emulsified and creamy. Season with salt.
Meanwhile, prepare a hot fire in a grill, or preheat a grill pan over high heat. Using your hands, coat the squash with the olive oil and season generously with salt. Grill the squash, turning occasionally, until softened and just slightly charred all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Place the squash and the tomatoes on a serving platter. Drizzle with the dressing and scatter the herbs on top. Serve immediately. Serves 8.
Adapted from The Fat Radish Kitchen Diaries, by Ben Towill, Phil Winser, Nicole Franzen, Nick Wilber and Julia Turshen (Rizzoli, 2014)