We were invited to a summer house party in the foothills of California over the weekend. In addition to having a wonderful time, I was able to score some early tomatoes from this, much warmer, area. It won’t be tomato season on the coast until late August or even September.

I got the idea for the salad from the book Salad Freak, one of my favorite cookbooks. It’s by Jess Damuck, who used to work for Martha Stewart.

The garden is overrun with nasturtiums, and they are a lovely accent to red and yellow tomatoes.

Nasturtiums

Tomato, nasturtium, and arugula salad

I don’t have a real recipe.

Simply cut up a variety of tomatoes, several colors and varieties if you have them. Cut some into wedges, some sliced. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Arrange them on a platter or plate, top with some colorful nasturtiums and arugula. Then sprinkle with salt crystals, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and add a few drops of balsamic glaze.

That’s all there is to it. Tres simple.

Tomato and Nasturtium Salad

I can think of several variations. What about adding watermelon, maybe some crumbled feta, pickled red onion?