Nothing says summer like a beautiful Caprese Salad! With layers of fresh mozzarella, juicy tomatoes, and sweet, peppery basil, this salad is a wonderful marriage of summertime flavors, textures, and aromas. This classic dish showcases the beauty of cooking with fresh ingredients—where less truly is more.
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What is Caprese Salad?
Caprese Salad or “Insalata Caprese” is an antipasto (appetizer) of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil, named for the sun-soaked island of Capri, Italy.
Several accounts of the salad’s origin have been passed down over the last century. One popular story holds that a patriotic mason crafted the dish just after World War I, with its red, white, and green layers symbolizing the colors of the Italian flag. (1)
Another suggests that the salad arose in the 1920’s from the Futurist Movement. Led by writer Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, the Futurists aimed to break away from old traditions and embrace modernity, dynamism, and progress.
While the movement is primarily associated with art and literature, Marinetti and his peers also explored culinary arts. Marinetti himself was critical of heavy, starchy Italian dishes (especially pasta), viewing them as an impediment to vitality. (2)
As the story goes, Marinetti visited the Grand Hotel Quisisana in Capri for a Futurist conference and dinner. There, instead of a traditional pasta course, the chef served the lighter, tri-colored dish that is now known as Insalata Caprese. (1)
*Sources: (1) The Patriotic Origins of the First Caprese Salad The Daily Meal; (2) The Intentionally Scandalous 1932 Cookbook That Stands the Test of Time, Bon Appetit.
What You’ll Need to Make Caprese Salad
I find that the terms “good quality” and “best quality” appear often in recipe ingredient lists; so often, in fact, that we might gloss over them. If I can drive home one point about Caprese Salad, it’s that for the best results, the quality of each ingredient truly matters.
This salad is a simple one, made with just a handful of components. Insalata Caprese can be remarkable with excellent ingredients, or lackluster if the ingredients aren’t at their prime.
Tomatoes
Use plump slicing varieties for the best Caprese Salad (preferably, heirloom if you can source them). I always make this salad during the summer with tomatoes from my garden. (I used Big Beef, Cherokee Purple, Mortage Lifter, and Mr. Stripey varieties in the photos for this post).
You can also add sweet cherry tomatoes to your salad if you have them. If you aren’t using homegrown tomatoes, the next best option is to head to a farmer’s market and see what’s freshly picked and ripe for eating.
The tomatoes you choose should be ripe, but firm. Overripe tomatoes will throw too much juice into the platter. (Save them for sauce or Roasted Tomato Soup!)
Fresh Mozzarella
I prefer making Caprese Salad with Mozzarella di Bufala (Buffalo Milk Mozzarella), which is creamier and more flavorful than cow’s milk mozzarella.
Here in the United States, I buy the BUF Creamery brand, which is made from 100% water buffalo milk, packed in brine. Locally, I usually find BUF at Whole Foods and Wegmans. BUF’s Mozzarella di Bufala is available in a large, slicing variety called “Ovaline”, medium “Bocconcini”, and the bite-sized “Ciliegine”.
I like to use the Ovaline (pictured) when using large slicing tomatoes. When I make Caprese Salad with cherry tomatoes, I use Ciliegine.
If you have access to an Italian specialty market, you can also use a ball of fresh cow’s milk mozzarella, often prepared in-store (you’ll usually find it wrapped in plastic wrap). Bonus points if this mozzarella is still warm when you buy it!
Caprese is also delicious when made with cow’s milk Fior di Latte. Use Agerola Fior di Latte if you can source it, which is made with Agerolese cow milk from the Campania region of Italy.
Do not use low-moisture mozzarella to make Caprese Salad. These are the shrink-wrapped bricks that you would shred for a NY-style pizza topping.
Want to try making your own mozzarella? Check out How to Make Fresh Mozzarella From Scratch from Serious Eats.
The Toppings: Basil, Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper
Choose fragrant, fresh basil leaves for Caprese Salad. I like to use a variety of sizes, large and small to sprinkle over the salad and tuck between the layers of tomato and mozzarella.
You’ll want to use a good, fruity extra-virgin olive oil for the best Caprese Salad. One of my favorites is Marfuga Olive Oil from Umbria (pictured). I find that it adds just enough of a peppery bite at the finish. If you prefer a milder oil, my family enjoys the Sweet & Fruity Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Napa Valley Naturals.
Finish the salad with flaked sea salt–I use Maldon {affiliate link}. Freshly cracked black pepper is optional. My family likes a pinch or two over the top of the salad, but you can omit it if you prefer.
What’s not on this list: balsamic vinegar. Many recipes call for finishing the salad with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar or reduced balsamic glaze. Authentic Caprese Salad, however, does not include vinegar.
Good quality tomatoes have enough natural acidity, and the pungency of the vinegar can mask and overpower the salad’s flavors. I’m a Caprese purist on this point!
How to Make Caprese Salad
Step 1: Slice the Tomatoes and Mozzarella
Start by cutting room-temperature tomatoes into 1/4 to 1/3-inch thick slices. Cut cocktail-sized tomatoes into wedges, and smaller cherry or grape tomatoes in half.
While some cooks salt and drain their tomato slices before assembling the salad, I prefer not to. The juices from heirloom tomatoes are heavenly. I much prefer soaking them up with a crusty slice of Italian bread than letting them go to waste.
If however, your tomatoes are excessively juicy after slicing, lightly blot them with paper towels before layering the salad.
Similarly, cut the fresh mozzarella into 1/4-inch slices. Some varieties of mozzarella will be very soft and difficult to slice. If this is the case, tear the cheese into pieces.
Again, if the cheese is very milky, you can blot it with paper towels before assembling the Caprese Salad.
Step 2: Assemble the Salad
Arrange the tomatoes on a large platter, interspersing them with slices of mozzarella. You can choose to layer them using a very uniform tomato-mozzarella-tomato pattern, or opt for a slightly more relaxed arrangement, as I’ve done here.
The goal is to ensure each guest can effortlessly serve themselves both tomato and mozzarella without having to sort through the platter.
Drizzle the top of the salad with extra virgin olive oil, letting it trickle through the mozzarella and tomato layers, and season to taste with salt and pepper (if using).
The saltiness of the mozzarella will determine the amount of salt you’ll need to add, so it’s a good idea to taste a slice first. I find that buffalo mozzarella can be a bit saltier than cow’s milk. When using it, I tend to focus my salt sprinkling more on the tomato slices.
Finish the salad with a handful of fresh basil. I find that a combination of both large and small leaves adds visual appeal. Leave the smaller leaves whole and gently tear the larger ones by hand to prevent bruising, instead of chopping them.
Serving Caprese Salad
Caprese Salad is best served immediately. As the salad sits, the tomatoes will continue to release their juices, and the mozzarella (especially if using a creamy buffalo variety) will start to release milk.
Since the salad does not store well, I recommend adjusting the recipe to accommodate what you can consume in one sitting. Since it uses so few ingredients, it’s easy to scale up or down.
Insalata Caprese is traditionally served as an appetizer, not as a side dish. It’s perfect for alfresco dining on a warm summer night on the patio, as a precursor to pasta or grilled meats.
I like to serve it with sliced Italian bread for dipping into any olive oil and juices pooled on my plate, though this is optional.
The day I photographed this post, I finished up near dinner time, and there was quite a lot of Caprese Salad left for two people to eat. We were planning on having fried chicken cutlets for dinner, so I topped mine with some of the salad. It isn’t an authentic use of the dish, but it certainly was delicious.
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Caprese Salad (Insalata Caprese)
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes (preferably, heirloom), room temperature
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella (preferably, buffalo milk mozzarella)
- 6-7 fresh basil leaves (small handful)
- extra virgin olive oil
- flaked sea salt
- freshly-ground black pepper , optional
Instructions
- Slice large tomatoes into 1/4 to 1/3-inch slices. If including cocktail or cherry tomatoes, cut them into wedges or halves. If the tomato slices are very juicy, gently pat them with paper towels.
- Slice the mozzarella into 1/4-inch slices. If the cheese is too soft to slice, tear it into pieces.
- On a large platter, layer the tomato and mozzarella slices, tucking the cheese between the tomatoes.
- Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper (if using). The amount of salt you add will depend on the saltiness of the mozzarella you're using.
- Sprinkle fresh basil over the top of the salad. Smaller leaves can be left whole; large leaves should be gently torn instead of chopping to prevent bruising.
- Serve the salad immediately. We like to enjoy it with a slice of crusty Italian bread for dipping into any released tomato juices, but this is entirely optional.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Please note that our recipes have been developed using the US Customary measurement system and have not been tested for high altitude/elevation cooking and baking.
