Get ready for a sensational flavor journey with Fire and Ice Tomato Salad. With a spicy brine that includes cayenne pepper, each bite of this tomato, red onion and green pepper pickled salad has just the right amount of heat and garden fresh flavor.
Fire and Ice Tomato Salad is a fantastic pickled salad with American Southern roots that's perfect for a summer picnic or BBQ, along with Zucchini Slaw and Pepperoni Pasta Salad.
This tasty pickled tomato salad starts on the "fire" (stovetop) where its delicious, spicy brine is boiled at top rolling speed. That fiery brine then turns to "ice" when it pickles fresh tomatoes, green peppers and red onion overnight in the fridge.
Topped with some cool slices of English cucumber just before serving, this is a glorious flavor journey for your taste buds that's hard to beat.
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👪Why you'll love it
| Easy recipe- After the initial peeling, slicing and pot boiling, this salad is pretty hands off. It marinates to perfection overnight and is served chilled. Keeps well- This tomato salad is literally preserved in its own juices and keeps well in the fridge for up to two weeks. An added bonus is that the longer it sits, the more flavorful it gets! Great for summer cookouts- It pairs well with all your favorite sandwiches and grilled proteins. We especially enjoy it on top of burgers. |
🥘Ingredients
- vine ripened tomatoes- I like to peel the tomatoes, but this is optional; however I do think the salad is more palatable this way
- green pepper- choose a firm one that isn't overripe
- red onion- slice this in rings for aesthetic appeal
- white wine vinegar- may substitute distilled white vinegar
- sugar- helps to counteract the vinegar's bite
- celery seed, mustard seed, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper- seasonings for the brine
- water
- English cucumber *not pictured above--you may substitute Persian or mini cucumbers; add this right before serving
🔪Instructions
For more detailed instructions, see the printable recipe card below
- Arrange the prepped tomatoes, peppers and onion in a 13x9 glass baking dish.
- To make the brine, combine vinegar, sugar, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, cayenne, black pepper and water in a small saucepan with lid. Bring to a rolling boil; boil furiously for 1 minute.
- Immediately pour the hot brine over the fresh ingredients in the baking dish. Cool; then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Just before serving, slice the English cucumber and arrange with the other ingredients.
Hint: You may choose to keep the tomatoes, peppers and onions separate from each other in the dish so guests can choose which items they want in their bowl.
🥣Substitutions
If you're not craving a spicy brine, simply omit the cayenne pepper.
You may choose to use a Vidalia onion for a slightly sweeter flavor.
🍽Equipment
- vegetable peeler
- cutting board
- santoku or chef's knife
- small saucepan with lid
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- stirring spoon
- 13x9 glass baking dish with lid (do not use a metal pan)
- salad prongs (if serving from glass baking dish)
- slotted spoon (if serving from bowl)
🍶Storage
Refrigerate leftovers and store in an airtight container. You can store this in a mason jar for optimal freshness, but please note this is not a shelf stable recipe.
If you peeled the tomatoes, leftovers will last for up to 2 weeks--just know, the longer this sits, the more pickled it gets!
If you didn't peel the tomatoes, enjoy within 3 days before the skin starts to slough off.
💭Top Tip
Pouring the brine into the dish while it's hot is the key to good, satisfying flavor.
🗨️FAQ
This pickled tomato salad typically lasts for 2 weeks in the fridge with a seal tight container. Signs to look out for are cloudy brine with bubbles (a sign of fermentation) or any visible mold. If you see either of these, discard immediately.
🥄Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
🍴Pairing
These are my favorite summer dishes to serve with Fire and Ice Tomato Salad:
📋Recipe
Fire and Ice Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 6 large vine ripened tomatoes
- 1 large green pepper
- 1 large red onion
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar may substitute distilled white vinegar
- 4 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ cup cold water
- 1 large English cucumber may substitute Persian or mini cucumber
Instructions
- Prep the fresh ingredients: Skin the tomatoes; seed; cut into quarters Halve pepper; seed; slice into strips Slice onion into thin rings
- Arrange the tomatoes, peppers and onion in a 13x9 glass baking dish.
- To make the brine, combine vinegar, sugar, celery seed, mustard seed, salt, cayenne, black pepper and water in a small saucepan with lid. Bring to a rolling boil; boil furiously for 1 minute.
- Immediately pour the hot brine over the fresh ingredients in the baking dish. Cool; then cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Just before serving, slice the cucumber and arrange with the other ingredients. You may choose to serve Fire and Ice Tomato Salad right out the dish it pickled in to give your guests a choice of which parts they want. Or, simply mix all the contents together and serve it in a large bowl; then place a few more cucumber slices on top!
- Refrigerate leftovers and store in an airtight container. You may also choose to store this in a mason jar, but please note that this is not shelf stable. If you peeled the tomatoes, leftovers will last for up to 2 weeks--just know, the longer this sits, the more pickled it gets! If you didn't peel the tomatoes, enjoy within 3 days before the skin starts to slough off.
Sally M. says
It's been a long time since I've had this fire and ice tomato salad. My mom used to make it for picnics. It was always a hit. I can't wait to try your recipe.
Kitchen Ready Betty says
It really is flavorful...I really like it with burgers. After you try it, please come back and tell me what you think!