Tomato salad with mango vinegar (crab and crayfish)
Mango vinegar has an affinity with tomatoes. I discovered this when using it for making vinaigrette and my oldest daughter commented on how particularly delicious the tomatoes tasted. Any variety of tomatoes I have used have been heightened by a sprinkling of mango vinegar over them. Use the mango vinegar in a normal vinaigrette or do what I often do now sprinkle mango vinegar, a little extra virgin olive oil and salt over the tomatoes.
This more substantial salad with fresh white crabmeat and crayfish tails only has the mango vinegar. The slight sweetness in the vinegar along with the juice pouring from the cut tomatoes was enough to dress the richness of the crabmeat and to balance with the sweetness from the crayfish. There was no need for oil. For me this salad conjures up perfectly the image of simplicity at its best.
I like having a variety of tomatoes for the slight differences they bring in taste and texture. The miniature tomatoes below are so tiny they appear as if little pearls, smaller than some blueberries. They’re a joy to have in a salad, they burst in your mouth bringing little explosion of tomatoness.
- 400g / 2 large handfulls tomatoes different varieties cherry/baby size
- 100g / ½ cup fresh white crabmeat (not tinned)
- 150g / 1 cup cooked crayfish tails or cooked prawns
- 1 ripe avocado, chopped into chunks
- 1 tablespoon of fresh basil, torn if large
- 1 tablespoon of mango vinegar
- ½ tablespoon of fresh chives, finely chopped – optional
- freshly ground pepper or few drops of tabasco – optional
- Cut the tomatoes. Add all the ingredients together and mix well. Taste and see if it needs more vinegar. I didn’t feel the need to add salt.