My Best Tomato Sandwich
Author Notes: The tomato sandwich is, in my opinion, both under and over-appreciated, depending on the camp you fall into. Some just don't appreciate the magic of a perfect tomato sandwich, while others, like me, think about it more often than is technically healthy. (I figure if fantasizing about tomato sandwiches is among the worst of my vices, I’m probably okay.) When tomato season is in full swing I tend to have a tomato sandwich for lunch at least three days a week.
It’s nothing fancy, but over the years I tweaked until I came up with the tomato sandwich that best suits my taste: two pieces of whole grain toast spread with mayo and stuffed as generously as possible with slices of ripe tomato, plus some salt and coarsely ground black pepper. —Merrill Stubbs
Makes: 1 sandwich
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2 slices dense wholegrain bread with lots of seeds (my favorite is Eli’s Health Loaf)
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1 medium beefsteak tomato (New Jersey or otherwise), perfectly ripe
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Mayonnaise
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Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- Toast the bread to your liking (I like mine nice and crispy, but I know some prefer a lighter toast). Let it cool for a bit while you core and cut the tomato into 1/8-inch slices. Slather one side of each piece of toast with about a teaspoon and a half of mayonnaise (more or less if you like) and layer as many of the tomato slices as you can on top of one one piece of toast. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Top with the other piece of toast, cut in half (vertically or diagonally – the choice is yours, so go wild). Eat immediately, with a side of napkins to catch the tomato/mayo juices that will undoubtedly dribble down your chin.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
More Great Recipes:
Fruit|Sandwich|5 Ingredients or Fewer|Summer
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Growing up in California I was blessed with a really long tomato growing season. My family reserved tomatoes for either eating warm, right in the garden, or almost exclusively for Mom's homemade tomato sauce (which went on the homemade ravioli). Don't hate me. I never had a tomato sandwich until I was an adult and had no more garden of my own. A friend brought some fresh bounty in from her garden, and showed me that there were other ways to eat fresh tomatoes. ;) I'm in the untoasted white bread, mayo and tomato camp, though.
This was a particularly welcome post, since I just got a couple of fresh grown tomatoes to play with.
Such an easy lunch for guests, or weekends when my partner's home: chunks of ripe-red tomatoes on bite-sized chunks of rustic bread, held together with mini-skewers, (in other words, not those horrid splintery things that are only good for applying glue to crafts). Salt & pepper of course, and optionally, a thin dusting of dried oregano or very thin cut basil. Drizzle olive oil if the bread wasn't mayo-ed. Sides could be anything from parm-curls, to (not too hard!) hard cooked eggs, tins of tiny smoked oysters, olives, cheeses, etc.
A screen-bowl protects all from flying critters. Too many fab optional accompaniments to mention really, but options are parm-curls, olives or a bowl of tamponade with little spoons, and cheeses.
For just myself, any - and maybe every - day of the week when the toms are just a reach away for the picking, it's a sandwich EXACTLY as Merrill Stubbs makes 'em.
I agree, this is one of my all time favorite sandwiches. Down here is Louisiana the season is also short, from early June through the 4th of July, and they absolutely must be home grown tomatoes. So simple, yet so delicious. I eat them just about every day when I can.
100% agree, ripe homegrown tomatoe, mayo and a good bread toasted with salt and pepper is the Nirvana of summer tastes. We have been living on them. Breakfast lunch and dinner. Such a short season...so catch it all.
My Aunt Elva used to make us the best white bread, mayonnaise, beefsteak tomato and Kraft Velveeta sandwiches. So simple, but I can't duplicate the taste or experience of eating this as a child hungry for lunch.
People keep comments about what they would add to this recipe, but that's missing the point! It needs nothing, it's perfect as it is
Very very sad--the heirloom tomatoes in our community garden are gone for the year. I've already ordered my seed for next year from Baker Seeds. looking so forward to such a short season.
Peter Pan peanut butter, red-leaf lettuce, a slice of onion, and covered edge-to-edge with any kind of heirloom (for variety) tomato on whole wheat. Want to truly "throw caution to the wind" try a PBB(bacon) LT, absolutely decadent.
this sandwich is great--but so is one with basil, or some nice crunchy lettuce, or a very thin slice of red onion, or a roma cut in half wrapped in a lettuce leaf--while gardening.
I grew up on mater (may - tur) sammiches!
I put a couple of fresh basil leaves on my tomato sandwiches.
I LOVE tomato sandwiches, possibly even more than Harriet The Spy! I could eat them for breakfast every single day. Sometimes I add a drizzle of sriracha :)
i prefer mine with ricotta in place of the mayo on yours, mmmmm
I anxiously await the ripening of my tomatoes so i can enjoy tomato sandwiches with my mom. But we use Pepperidge Farm White Sandwich Bread. For us, it absolutely has to be that bread, lightly toasted. Add a mix of my thickly sliced, low-acid yellow and early girl tomatoes with a slather of mayo and call it pure heaven.
When I was in about 5th grade, I would ride my bike home for lunch every day, and I would eat a tomato/lettuce/Miracle whip/white bread sandwich-I can still taste it!
Ok- my favorite sandwich as a kid was two slices of Wonder Bread, heavily slathered with Best Foods Mayo, salt , pepper, and grated cheddar cheese.
Add a little dijon mustard to the mayonnaise spread and top with a some chopped basil.
This is good stuff, but I have to admit, I prefer mine with *gasp* Miracle Whip. Just saying...
My mom grows her own tomatoes in our backyard, and I can't wait to try this recipe out when they bloom!
Our heirlooms have been outrageously good this year. Sometimes we can't even bring ourselves to distract from their flavor with anything other than salt and pepper. Every time I think I'm going to make a caprese salad or embellish our tomato sandwiches with basil mayo, I give it to the old standby like your "Best Tomato Sandwich". Simple works great!
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