Dish · italian
Insalata Caprese
Sliced tomato and fresh mozzarella layered with basil leaves, dressed simply with olive oil and salt, no vinegar in the traditional version. The dish depends entirely on the quality of its few ingredients.
Where it comes from
The salad comes from the island of Capri, and its red, white, and green colors are often linked to the Italian flag, though that connection is more folklore than documented fact. It spread onto menus across Italy over the 20th century.
What cooks argue about
Salting is the real question: salting the tomato ahead draws out water that thins the plate, so cooks argue over salting early for flavor against salting late to keep things dry.
Versions
Nobody has published a insalata caprese here yet. When somebody cooks one from a video and publishes it, their version appears in this list, with a link back to the original.
What goes in it
Each one opens everything else made with it.
fresh mozzarella
basil
olive oil