Southern Tomato Sandwich

When those gorgeous red heirloom tomatoes start sitting pretty in your local market's produce aisle, it's officially Southern tomato sandwich season! These messy sandwiches are juicy, tangy, sweet, salty, and absolutely irresistible.

Course Lunch, Main

Cuisine American, Southern

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 487kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Traditional Sandwich

2 large or 3 medium ripe tomatoes, thickly sliced
¼ teaspoon (1g) salt
⅛ teaspoon (pinch) freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
4-6 thick slices white bread
¼ cup (56g) mayonnaise or more to taste

Optional Marinade

1 tablespoon (10g) minced shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon (2-3g) chopped basil
1 tablespoon (15ml) olive oil

Instructions

Optional Marinating

For extra flavor, mix minced shallot, minced garlic, basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
Place the sliced tomatoes on a large plate, season with salt, then pour the marinade over them. Flip them over to season the other side and thoroughly coat them with the marinade. Refrigerate while marinating until ready to assemble the sandwiches.

The Sandwich

Melt about ½ tablespoon of butter per sandwich in a large skillet over medium heat.
Working in batches, add the bread slices, turning them over a couple of times to thoroughly coat them in butter.
Toast the bread for 1-2 minutes per side or until crisp and golden brown. Repeat the process to toast the remaining slices of bread. (Or toast the bread in a toaster and slather the hot toast with softened butter.)
To assemble the sandwiches, lay the sandwich bread on a work surface and spread each slice generously with an even layer of mayonnaise. Arrange marinated tomatoes on top of one slice and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Close the sandwich, cut on a diagonal through the middle, and serve immediately.

Notes

You can scale the recipe up to make as many sandwiches as you need.
A serrated knife will cut the tomatoes without pushing out those delicious juices.
Serve the sandwich immediately. Don't let them sit too long, or those juicy tomatoes may give you a soggy sandwich.
Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.

Nutrition