This very simple tomato and sweet onion salad is a wonderful summer side dish to any grilled meats. Yes it is as simple as just ripe, fresh tomatoes and thinly sliced fresh onions with an easy olive oil and red wine vinegar dressing. But it does work great with charred, freshly grilled meat, especially steak.
Since there is so few ingredients it is important to buy very fresh, sweet and ripe tomatoes, preferably organic and in season. If you grow your own even better. Same goes for the onions, sweet Vidalia onions are delicious in this salad. If you are not a huge fan of zesty onions and want to get rid of that onion bite, simply soak them in cold water for 10 minutes after slicing. You can also pour boiling hot water over them in a colander to get the same result.
High quality olive oil is an essential ingredient as well, it really adds a delicious flavor to the salad. Fresh parsley brings un unbeatable freshness and a fun pop of color.
As a variation you can dress the tomato onion salad with mayonnaise instead of oil/vinegar dressing. It all depends on your personal taste preference. The salad is suitable for any occasion but especially refreshing and delicious as summer barbecue side. With minimal calories and maximum taste it is always a huge hit and very easy to make.
