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Yellow Caprese Salad of Lemon Boy Tomatoes and Opal Basil

Prep 5 mins    Eat 5 mins

Yellow Caprese Salad of Lemon Boy Tomatoes and Opal Basil.

Yellow Caprese Salad of Lemon Boy Tomatoes and Opal Basil.

Look at the beautiful Yellow Caprese Salad I grew myself! My garden has been good to me this year. I’ve cut back on water since we are living through a drought here in Southern California, and I’ve managed to get more ripe tomatoes this year than in the past few. Living on the coast has its advantages, but growing tomatoes is not one of them. They prefer lots of hot sun and this year we had less June gloom and warmer ocean temperatures which contributed to my bounty. A happy collision of weather fate.

So what to do with a bounty of tomatoes? Caprese Salads of course! An easy 5 minute Fresh Food in a Flash meal!

What’s the secret to a great Caprese Salad?  Use fresh high-quality ingredients.  That’s it.  No tricks or techniques.

Lemon Boy Tomatoes were the stars in my garden.

Lemon Boy Tomatoes were the stars in my garden.

Luscious vine ripened tomatoes. If you don’t have a garden full of them, the farmers markets are dripping with beautiful tomatoes ready for the picking. Forget grocery store tomatoes.

Kosher salt or course sea salt sprinkled directly on to the tomatoes as soon as they are plated which brings out the sweetness of the fruit. Fresh ground pepper to give a slight kick

This Caprese Salad is natural work of art.

This Caprese Salad is natural work of art.

Fresh mozzarella – I used BelGioso pre-sliced fresh mozzarella from Costco.

Flowering Opal Basil provided beauty to my garden.

Flowering Opal Basil provided beauty to my garden.

Fresh out of the garden basil. This opal basil is beautiful with my yellow tomatoes and it has a bold flavor. I planted it in my front garden bed where I’d been growing flowers. It flowers AND I get to eat it. BONUS! Anyone can grow basil – in the ground, on a windowsill. At the very least, pick up a potted basil plant from Trader Joes and clip off fresh what you need.

The olive oil and balsamic finish off the dish.

The olive oil and balsamic finish off the dish.

A good quality extra virgin olive oil dribbled liberally over the tomatoes and a high-quality balsamic vinegar drizzled sparingly.

Yum! Guess what I’ll be having for lunch today?

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