Sherry vinegar – A little drizzle of vinegar to cut through all the olive oil and rich cheese really lifts this dish, I find. Use any clear(ish) vinegar that’s not as sharp as plain white vinegar. eg. like white wine vinegar, red wine or apple cider vinegar.
Standard olive oil – For roasting the tomatoes. No need to use your good stuff for cooking.
GOOD extra virgin olive oil – For drizzling over the dish at the end! This is what you use your good stuff for. Better flavour, richer colour!
Tossing cherry tomatoes for roasting
Close up of juicy roast tomatoes in Burst tomato burrata salad
How to make Bursty Tomato Burrata Salad
The tomatoes only take 10 minutes in the oven to become softened and a bit wrinkly but still holding their shape. The perfect state of almost-bursting (we want most of the actual bursting to happen in our mouth!).
Bake 10 minutes – Toss the tomatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper and the eshallots (US: shallots). Spread on a tray and bake for 10 minutes at 200°C/400°F (180°C fan) until the tomatoes are softened, some are wrinkly, but they are all still holding their shape and not collapsed into mush.
Vinegar – Gently push the tomatoes to one side of the tray (so they are bunched up together) and drizzle with the vinegar.
Transfer – Then gently transfer the tomatoes to a serving plate, in a single layer.
How to handle the burrata:
How to make burst tomato burrata salad
Now, burrata time! Nothing needs to be done to prepare it, we use it straight out of the tub.
GENTLY drain the liquid out of the burrata tub.
GENTLY roll the burrata out of the tub into your hand.
GENTLY place the burrata on top of the tomatoes.
Dollop pesto randomly across the tomatoes – I also do some on the burrata. Why not? 🙂
Do you see a theme in the instructions here? 😂 Burratas are delicate – the mozzarella shell is thin and barely holding in that molten creamy good inside. Fairy fingers are essential here to avoid a burrata explosion in your hands. Not fun, my friends! (Says the girl who did it just 2 days ago).
How to make burst tomato burrata salad
Finish with a swish of olive oil and sprinkle of fresh basil laves. Then serve your colourful bright burrata salad with a side of crusty bread!
Nominate a lucky person to break into the burrata to let the molten centre come oozing out. Let that creamy centre run everywhere, mingling with the tomato juices and the pesto…you’re imagining it, right???
Here’s your masterpiece before everyone gets stuck in. A glorious plate of rustic perfection!
Burst tomato burrata salad ready to be eaten
And here it is, 5 seconds later.Cutting into burrata
Close up of Burst tomato burrata salad
Honestly, for a burrata plate this big which would easily serve 2 if not 3 people for lunch, I’d expect to pay upwards of $30 at a trendy bistro – plus bread which they’d probably charge another $10 for.
All the ingredients here cost me around $15, bearing in mind you only use about 1/4 of a full batch of pesto (it freezes perfectly).
Colourful, bright food that’s made for sharing, perfectly imperfect delicious mess. This is 100% my kind of food!
