Recipes Fruits and Vegetables Vegetables Tomatoes Chef John's Best Recipes for When Summer Tomatoes Are at Their Peak By Carl Hanson Carl Hanson Carl Hanson is a Senior Editor at Allrecipes who has been writing about food and wine for nearly 20 years. He enjoys creating content that informs, entertains, and assists busy home cooks get nourishing meals on the table for their families. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on July 24, 2024 Close Photo: Kim's Cooking Now When summer finally delivers on its promise of perfectly ripe fresh tomatoes, these are the recipes that Chef John turns to. From gazpacho to steak pizzaiola, panzanella to burrata salad, these recipes are reserved for the height of summer when fresh tomatoes are at their most beautiful, most delicious peak. Give them a try! 01 of 14 Mexican-Style Shrimp Cocktail Chef John Cooked, cooled shrimp are mixed into a refreshing gazpacho-like sauce made with fresh tomatoes, English cucumber, red onion, celery, jalapenos, avocado, and cilantro. "This was the best shrimp cocktail ever!" raves kelly. "Served with warm naan bread and called it dinner. Perfect for summer!" View Recipe 02 of 14 Chef John's Gazpacho Jennifer Baker This refreshing Spanish soup is the taste of high summer. Chef John calls it a "garden salad masquerading as a cold soup." The key is to use "killer, end-of-summer, super-sweet tomatoes," says Chef John. "There just isn't any substitute, so happy hunting." Serve cold in chilled bowls. View Recipe 03 of 14 Beef Medallions with Fresh Horseradish Sauce Paul Warner This quick-and-easy dish combines a sweet cherry tomato salad with pan-seared sirloin steaks and a fresh horseradish and crème fraiche sauce. Simple and light, yet hearty and comforting: "It's dedicated to that little mini-season between summer and fall," says Chef John. "That time of year when I crave hearty, comforting dishes that are still light and simple to make." View Recipe 04 of 14 Chef John's Tomato Tart RMD Use the ripest summer tomatoes to make this classic tomato tart from the south of France. Fresh tomato slices, sprinkled with herbes de Provence and Parmesan cheese, caramelize above flaky, buttery puff pastry crust spread with a a layer of Dijon mustard. To feel even closer to Provence, enjoy with a glass of chilled rosé. View Recipe 05 of 14 Tomato Concassé Photo by Chef John. Chef John Concassé is simply peeled, seeded, and finely chopped fresh tomatoes. Use it as a base for fresh salsas. Add it to sauces, stews, soups, and chili. "The technique is relatively quick and easy," says Chef John. "And it will allow you to enjoy those gorgeous summer tomatoes sans skin and seeds. If you're feeling ambitious, do a few quarts, and can them for the winter." View Recipe 06 of 14 Chef John's Steak Pizzaiola Chef John Tomato Concassé is also the key to Chef John's Steak Pizzaiola recipe. He describes it as "the soul of the superb sauce." While there are many ways to make pizzaiola, "the one thing most people agree on is that you should, if at all possible, use really fresh, very sweet, vine-ripened tomatoes," says Chef John. Serve over toasted bread with mozzarella cheese. View Recipe 07 of 14 Chef John's Panzanella Deb C Super-ripe cherry tomatoes make this bread salad irresistible. "The key to this panzanella is frying the bread cubes in loads of olive oil in a skillet," says Chef John, "which obviously makes them crispy. But the healthful fat also soaks into the bread cubes and renders them semi-waterproof, or dressing-proof. The same goes for the dusting of Parmesan cheese applied halfway through the crisping process." View Recipe 08 of 14 "Naked" Cherry Tomato Salad Chef John Make this simple salad when cherry tomatoes are spectacularly sweet. You'll slip off the tomato skins and marinate them in a zippy dressing of sherry vinegar, olive oil, fresh mint, and a pinch of cayenne. "Cherry tomato skins can sometimes be tough, and you really don't notice that until it's not there anymore," says Chef John. "Choose the most perfect tomatoes you can find for this recipe." Watch the video to see Chef John's trick for removing the tomato skins. View Recipe 09 of 14 Stacked Tomato and Burrata Salad Kim's Cooking Now This stacked salad features buttery burrata cheese spread between layers of heirloom tomato slices and beautiful fresh basil leaves with a healthy drizzle of good quality olive oil. That's all there is to it! "Burrata is our newest addiction," says AdvenChef. "It's decadent and delicious. This is a beautiful presentation." View Recipe 10 of 14 Fresh Tomato Soup with Crispy Cheese Toast Chef John's Fresh Tomato Soup with Crispy Cheese Toast. Chef John Here's Chef John's fresh tomato twist on the classic cream of tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. "Since we're using fresh tomatoes at their peak of vine-ripened goodness, this simple soup is going to be not quite, but almost, 100% tomato," says Chef John. View Recipe 11 of 14 “Toy Box” Tomato Ricotta Cheese Torta Chef John This crustless tomato tart showcases colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes. "Followed the recipe to a T and it was great. Super flavorful and easy. I'd have it breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Yet another perfect recipe from Chef John." – A M View Recipe 12 of 14 Fresh Garden Tomato Sauce Chef John "As you know, I'm not above opening a can of tomatoes or jar of prepared sauce to use with pasta. In fact, I do it proudly with zero shame," says Chef John. "But when it's the middle of fresh tomato season, and the vines in our garden are heavy with this glorious fruit, all of a sudden I turn into a major food snob. Nothing but the homemade stuff will do." View Recipe 13 of 14 Greek Tomato Feta Fritters (Domatokeftethes) Chef John Chef John describes these herb- and cheese-packed fritters as a perfect summertime appetizer. "This recipe is EXTRAORDINARY! I followed it to a T and the fritters came out fantastic. My guests raved about them. Just picked up fresh Jersey tomatoes for a new round." – frontson View Recipe 14 of 14 More Like This Chef John Chef John's 18 Best Peach Recipes Chef John's Best Italian Recipes Best Chef John Recipes for the Grill Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit