Dill–Garlic Marinated Tomato Salad
Juicy tomato wedges, delicate red onion and fresh dill in a light Dijon vinaigrette with lemon zest.
Method
Start clean
Wash hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. Clean the knife, board, bowls and utensils; keep raw-meat tools separate. Rinse tomatoes, herbs and the whole lemon under plain running water before cutting or zesting; do not use soap on produce. Pat dry with a clean towel. Remove damaged areas and discard spoiled produce.
Soak the onion while you prep
Peel and halve the onion, then slice into delicate half-moons. Soak in cold drinking water for 5 minutes. During this soak, make the dressing and cut the tomatoes in step 3. Then drain thoroughly and pat the onion dry. The soak overlaps the 20-minute active-prep allowance; it does not add another 5 minutes to the total.
Whisk and cut
Whisk all the white wine vinegar, Dijon, lemon zest, finely minced garlic, fine salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in all the olive oil until lightly blended and glossy. Core the tomatoes and cut roughly 3/4-inch wedges or thick slices; keep their shape rather than dicing. Finely chop the dill and parsley, measuring both after chopping. Complete this while the onion soaks, then drain and dry it as directed.
Fold gently
Put tomatoes and the drained, dried onion in a clean mixing bowl. Add all measured dill and parsley, then all the dressing. Fold gently until the cut surfaces are coated. Do not crush the tomatoes. All listed ingredients go into the bowl; no garnish is reserved.
Marinate in the refrigerator
Cover and refrigerate at 40°F or below for 20 minutes, then fold once to combine the tomato juices with the vinaigrette. Aim for intact, tender tomato wedges and crisp-tender onion, not a mushy chopped salad. This cold rest follows the estimated 20 minutes of active prep, making about 40 minutes total. Marinating develops flavor; it is not a pathogen-killing step.
Serve fresh; keep cold
Divide into 4 side servings, sharing the light juices. Best texture is freshly made. Refrigerate reserve promptly, covered, at 40°F or below; label preparation date and time. Use within 48 hours from preparation, including the chilling time, or an earlier ingredient deadline. This is our conservative household limit, not a validated recipe-specific shelf life. Count cumulative time out of refrigeration, including prep and serving: discard after 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Do not top up an old batch, return served salad or dipped dressing to the reserve, or taste an old batch to judge safety. Vinegar, zest and Dijon do not establish tested acidification or shelf stability; this is not a pantry or canning recipe.