Tomato carpaccio with smoked salt and fennel pollen

Summer is all about tomatoes - bright, colourful, and juicy. Tomatoes come in hundreds of varieties and sizes. Here, I focused on the larger varieties with different colours and textures. It is estimated that there are over 10,000 varieties of tomatoes worldwide.

The red and yellow tablestop tomatoes are juicy, fresh, and perfect for salads. The San Marzano and Roma varieties are typically used to make sauces like Pomodoro.

Here I used them all raw so I could enjoy their different textures and flavours.

I sprinkled them with Napa Valley smoked sea salt, wild-harvested fennel pollen, and some extra-virgin olive oil. The fennel and salt complemented the tomatoes, enhancing their individual flavours. This was summer on a plate!

For more recipes from Zafar, click here.

Heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced

Smoked salt

Fennel pollen

Olive oil

Arrange the tomatoes on a platter in a decorative fashion. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with smoked sea salt and fennel pollen. Serve as a salad or with baguette.