Spice up your tomato haul with a marinated salad

A juicy, sweet, tart, perfectly ripe tomato needs nothing more than a sprinkling of salt to be a culinary revelation. And that's exactly how I eat them for the first hundred times, once peak season hits. After that, I start to crave a little variety in my tomato diet.

Years ago, I took a class from a famous Northern California chef. She made a pickled tomato dish that was memorably delicious. I know, because decades later, I'm still thinking about it.

She started by briefly cooking a combination of Indian-inspired spices in oil, coaxing out every bit of flavor in the toasting process, before whisking them into a mixture of vinegar, sugar and salt. The potent dressing was drizzled over sliced tomatoes and the dish was left to macerate in the refrigerator for a few days.

Just one bite and boom, I could taste every one of the warm spices popping in my mouth as they mingled with the cold, fresh tomatoes.

This week's Marinated Tomato Salad is my spin on that sensational summer dish I enjoyed many years ago. In my version, the flavors are decidedly Moroccan and the technique is similar, but more streamlined. I also lower the amount of time the tomatoes are left to macerate in the dressing, taking them more in the direction of a salad than a pickle.

Marinating the tomatoes draws out their natural juices and, trust me, you won't want to waste a drop. I like to serve this salad in a bowl, along with a loaf of crusty bread, allowing each diner to tear off a chunk to swipe through the addictive dressing at the bottom of the bowl.

Serves 6.

Fresh, ripe tomatoes in a bright, flavorful Moroccan-inspired marinade will be your new go-to summer salad. From Meredith Deeds.

• 1 1/2 lb. ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-in. wedges

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved

• 4 green onions, thinly sliced

• 1/4 c. olive oil

• 1 tbsp. grated ginger

• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 1 tsp. ground cumin

• 1 tsp. ground coriander

• 3 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 tbsp. honey

• Flaky salt

Directions

Place the tomatoes and green onions in a large serving bowl.

In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the ginger, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and coriander. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Immediately transfer into a small heatproof bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice and honey.

Pour dressing over the tomato mixture and toss to cook. Let sit for at room temperature for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, taste the salad and season with more salt or lemon juice, if necessary. Serve with a light sprinkling of flaky salt over the top.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.