A simple shoyu-dashi dressing, a mix of soy sauce and Japanese broth (powdered dashi works fine), makes an excellent seasoning for all kinds of summer vegetables or greens. Take this tomato salad I made a few weeks ago while visiting my sister in Bozeman. A trip to the farmers market turned up some gorgeous summer tomatoes and a few bunches of shiso.

My normal move with really good tomatoes is a classic Caprese: tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, salt. But this time I came home with shiso instead of basil. They don’t taste particularly alike—shiso has a mild mintiness and a hint of eucalyptus to my nose—but they can occupy a similar space on the plate and the palate, and both are excellent with ripe tomatoes.

I kept this dish very simple: Excellent tomatoes, roughly chopped shiso, and soy-dashi shaken with some extra-virgin olive oil. Tomatoes on their own are wonderfully savory, but with a light coating of dashi and soy, they're downright meaty.

Recipe: Tomato and Shiso Salad with Shoyu-Dashi Dressing

What I love about this recipe

It subtly reinforces the savoriness of ripe summer tomatoes.

Shiso and tomato are a natural pairing.

The dressing is dead simple and can be used for a variety of other dishes.

Yield: 4 servingsActive Time: 10 minutesTotal Time: 10 minutesNotes: Use the best tomatoes you can find. A mix of colors, sizes, and varieties is great. The dressing makes more than you’ll likely need for this salad. Refrigerate leftovers and shake well before using. Any kind of dashi works here, including homemade or instant dashi. I use Japanese dark shoyu for this recipe. Japanese or Chinese light soy sauce or tamari would also work. If you can't find shiso, this salad is also excellent with basil, mint, or a mix of the two.

Ingredients

1/2 cup (120ml) dashi (see note above)

1/4 cup (60ml) soy sauce

1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 to 2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges or bite-size pieces

8 to 12 shiso leaves, roughly chopped (see note above)

Kosher salt

Method

Make the soy-dashi dressing: Combine the dashi, soy sauce, and olive oil in a jar, seal, and shake vigorously until loosely emulsified.

Dress the tomatoes and serve: Arrange the tomatoes on a serving plate and season lightly with salt. Scatter the shiso over the top, then spoon over enough dressing to coat everything lightly. Serve immediately, passing extra dressing at the table.

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