The Ultimate Southern Tomato Sandwich

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Listen, I know that a tomato sandwich recipe is barely a recipe. You have bread, tomatoes, and mayonnaise, and I wouldn’t blame you one bit if you gave me the side-eye for making this a whole entire blog post. But over the years, and through one very salty round of testing, I have perfected the process to make an amazing sandwich every time, and don’t you think that deserves a little attention? I do. Also, I wanted to take photos of tomatoes at their peak. So sue me.

I adore summer tomatoes. Every year, I overplant tomatoes in my backyard and watch as my normally tidy garden explodes into a mass of vines. Then come the first bright yellow blossoms with all of their anticipation and promise, before green baby tomatoes make their triumphant entrance. After that, it’s a waiting game of watching the bright green fade into lush red, all the while fighting off the pests who love the fruits as much as I do.

But all of the work is worth it when you pop those first cherry tomatoes into your mouth and burst them between your teeth, or slice into a rich red heirloom tomato. I can’t describe the complexity and vibrancy of a sun-ripened tomato, the sweet, the sour, the brightness, and the richness all in one.

This post isn’t about a groundbreaking recipe. It’s more about a tried-and-true process that churns out excellent sandwiches every time.

Get this cute serving platter set

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Okay, enough salivating over my favorite member of the nightshade family. You’ll love this recipe because:

• It’s easy: Simple ingredients, minimal steps, instant gourmet. Embrace the efficiency, my friend.
• It’s perfect for peak tomato season: I know a lot of folks go to BLTs when they think about how to use their excess of tomatoes. But let’s all admit that bacon is an attention-hog, and sometimes you want to just let the tomatoes be the star.
• It blends all of the flavors into one sandwich: You have the sweetness and tartness of the tomato, the saltiness of kosher salt, the richness and umami of mayonnaise, and the fluffiness (not a flavor, I’m aware) of the white bread.
• It has the legs to stand on its own, but the adaptability to fit into a spread: Slap this together with some potato chips, and you’re in business. But tomato sandwiches can also fall in line with cucumber sandwiches, fruit salad, deviled eggs, or other picnic staples.

Tomato Sandwich Ingredients

When something is this simple, it’s all about the ingredients. Each component, and its treatment, makes a huge difference in the final product.

Choosing the right tomato

Say tomato one more time, Lauren, I dare you. Well, look, the kind of tomato you pick will have repercussions on the entire sandwich, so just bear with me as we talk through what you should, and should not choose.

You’re going to want a tomato that has enough mass to it where it will reasonably fill a piece of bread. Slicer, heirloom, and hothouse tomatoes are your best friends. Roma tomatoes lack the water content and flavor that you’re looking for. Those are best left for sauces or spreads.

Cherry tomatoes could be good in a pinch, but the shape of a halved sphere might be a little awkward to smush between bread. If you’re feeling particularly industrious, you could cut cherry tomatoes into eighths and make them into kind of a chutney, but then that would be a totally different recipe, and we’re trying to stay on-topic here.

Source your tomatoes

Where to get your tomatoes is almost as important as which type to get. Here is my totally scientific, not-at-all-biased list of sources, organized from most preferable to don’t-even-go-there.

• Homegrown: Obviously, your best source of tomatoes would be your own backyard. Just go out, pick a tomato or two, come back into the kitchen, slice, assemble, and enjoy still warm from the sun. It’s perfection. But yes, I know, we don’t all have a garden, or we just don’t have the inclination to do all of that. Keep reading.
• Farmer’s markets: Why grow it yourself when you can spend a Saturday or Sunday supporting your local farmers? Finding locally sourced, organic, juicy tomatoes is the holy grail of summer grocery shopping. But unless you live in some magical foodie land, you’re only going to the market once a week, and that won’t cut it when you get a hankering. Find a farmer’s market near you.
• Grocery store, summer edition: If your grocery store has its wits about it, there should be a boom of local tomatoes hitting the shelves beginning in May and lasting until September. Take your time and find the reddest, juiciest, most magazine-worthy tomato you can.
• Grocery store, winter edition: Listen, I’m not going to judge you. Sometimes we get cravings. Just manage your expectations. Winter tomatoes are only to be used in case of emergency.

A Study on Mayonnaise

I’m a southern girl who cooks a lot of southern food, and that means I consume a fair amount of mayonnaise. Even when I try to keep things light, that white jar usually makes its way onto my counter a couple of times each meal. For this recipe, I knew that the flavor profile of the mayo would make a huge difference in how it interacted with the tomato and bread.

I tried my grocery store’s regular mayonnaise, and while it was a good background to the other flavors, it didn’t stand up to the brightness of the tomato. I tried a few brand names, including Hellmann’s, Duke’s and Kewpie, to taste-test the perfect combination of flavor and texture.

Hellman’s lacked the acidity I was looking for. Kewpie provided the richness, but also had a sweetness that competed with the natural sweetness in the tomato (pro-tip, if your tomatoes are a little underripe or sour, Kewpie could be a great counterpart.) I landed on Duke’s because it had the right amount of tanginess vs sweetness, richness vs brightness. Honestly, I’m nitpicking here, so use whatever you have in a pinch, but we’re going for gold, people.

Now onto the Bread

I am normally a whole-wheat bread girly, so what I’m about to say is shocking, even to myself. You need the soft, white sandwich bread. That fluffy, wheat germ-free, nutritionally deficient but texturally superior bread that you reserve for special occasions. I know. I judge me too.

In all seriousness, I tried whole wheat bread with these sandwiches, and the intensity of the taste and texture was in high competition with the other ingredients, which is not what we’re trying to do here. I found that white bread provided the ideal background support for our tomato sandwich.

I wanted to toast the bread. I tried toasting the bread. The sandwich suffered. I will stand behind soft, untoasted bread on this sandwich, even though it doesn’t keep as well, even though it tends to get soggy, (there’s a workaround, keep reading,) and even though it goes against my initial instincts. Bonus points if you baked it yourself, but I ain’t got time for that right now.

Salting Your Tomatoes

A huge step in this recipe is to salt your tomatoes. This helps draw out some of the moisture from the tomato’s surface, which will prevent the bread from becoming overly soggy. It also introduces another flavor element to the overall meal. In my initial taste-testing, I went hard on the kosher salt in an attempt to pull out as much moisture as I could. But I forgot that tomatoes are little salt-sponges, and the result was a very salty mess. So now, I recommend minimal salting, letting the tomatoes sit, and then blotting excess moisture to achieve the best results.

How to Make the Ultimate Southern Tomato Sandwich

Step 1: Slice your tomatoes

If you’re struggling to get even slices, I recommend using a bread knife to gently saw through your tomatoes. The optimal width is 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices so that the tomatoes can stand up to the salting process. But I’m not in your kitchen with a tiny ruler, so let your heart decide.

Step 2: Salt the tomato slices

Use a pinch of kosher salt to sprinkle your tomato slices and lay them on a paper towel-lined plate. Let them rest for ten minutes. Blot the tomatoes gently with paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Step 3: Assemble the sandwich

Spread Duke’s mayonnaise generously on both slices of your white bread. Stack your tomatoes in layers on one slice and add freshly ground black pepper. Add the other slice of bread and serve immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I toast the bread?

For this sandwich, you’re going to get the best texture by using soft, untoasted bread.

Can I make these sandwiches ahead of time?

Not really. These sandwiches were meant to be a prepare-and-eat meal. The bread will get soggy, and the tomatoes will become overly salty the longer they sit. If you’re making a whole spread, build these last to ensure maximum freshness.

Which mayo is best on a tomato sandwich?

From my own taste-testing, Duke’s Mayonnaise has the best flavor and depth to stand up to the simplicity of the recipe. An alternative is Kewpie Mayonnaise.

Do I have to salt my tomatoes?

Yes, salting the tomatoes is a crucial step to draw out excess moisture and further develop the tomato flavor. Do not skip this step.

Which type of tomato is best for tomato sandwiches?

Reach for a slicer, hothouse, or heirloom tomato when making a tomato sandwich. Avoid Roma or paste tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. Look for ripe, juicy, fragrant tomatoes with rich color and minimal blemishes.

And there you have it, folks, the ultimate construction guide to the perfect Southern tomato sandwich. I love to pair this with some potato chips, a glass of iced tea, and some fresh fruit for an easy lunch or dinner. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Want more easy recipes? Check out Build-Your-Own Breakfast Sundae Bar: The Healthy Version Kids Love!