Bursty Tomato Burrata Salad

This is my favourite burrata recipe

Burrata seems to be all the rage these days, on the menu of just about every trendy restaurant. That strange looking wobbly white ball of cheese with a molten centre that oozes out when you cut into it, there is no other cheese like it. (Is there??) The name burrata is linked to the Italian word for butter, which hints at the rich and creamy taste of burrata. With a cheese this good yet not that expensive to buy, you can make something really special with very little effort and modest cost. For me, juicy, bursty roasted cherry tomatoes served warm with a plump burrata ball plonked on top and a side of warm bread is just about as good as food gets. It’s on the table in 15 minutes, costs around $15, and it’s always a hit. Always!

Ingredients in Bursty Tomato Burrata Salad

Finishing with dollops of pesto takes this over the top. Taste wise – and also looks. Love how it turns the juices green! Originating from the Puglia region of Italy, it’s made from cow milk (sometimes buffalo milk) and is so delicate it comes in water in tubs. Not to be confused with fresh mozzarella or bocconcini (also sold in water in tubs) which are not oozy inside. How to eat burrata – Burrata is eaten as is ie. no cooking. To me, because of the mild flavour, burrata is more about what you serve with it rather than the cheese itself. You need to add flavour and salt, and treat burrata almost like cream that makes a sauce. You’d never just dump just cream on a pasta, right? Need to add salt and flavourings. Bacon! Chicken! Parmesan! How it’s used in dishes – Plonked on pastas, salads and toasts, as well as served plain with just a drizzle of olive oil and grilled bread on the side. Think of it as an instant sauce! Today’s recipe is a burrata salad – and it’s my favourite way to use burrata in a dish.

Note: Not all burrata is created equal!

Good burrata will have a creamy centre that oozes out when you cut into it and have a beautiful luscious mouthfeel. Lesser quality burrata will not ooze properly. My go-to brand is Paesanella. It’s a local Australian brand fairly widely available these days here in Australian grocery stores and fresh produces stores. You can find even better ones at (good) Italian / cheese delis from artisan small batch producers. But it’s still worth making even without. If basil is either extortionately expensive or a rummage in the freezer for leftover pesto is unsuccessful, I still make this though I do add something else to compensate, like dried herbs with the roasted tomatoes. I’ve popped some suggestions in the recipe card for pesto alternatives.

Burrata and (semi-optional) pesto

Burrata – See box above for information about burrata. No preparation is need to use it, just drain the liquid and use as is. However, just emphasising my recommendation to get a good one. If it doesn’t ooze, frankly, you may as well just get ricotta! My go-to brand is Paesanella which is available at some large grocery stores and fresh produce stores. Else, Italian / cheese delis. Pesto – As noted above the photo, recommended for my favourite version of this dish but I still make it without. Use homemade pesto (freezes so great!) or a good store-bought. Fresh basil – For sprinkling. As with with pesto comments, highly recommended but still worth making without.

The burst tomatoes and sauce

Here’s what you need for the sauce and burst tomatoes. Which, in case you hadn’t gathered yet, is just a cute name for roasted cherry tomatoes – because they go wrinkly and soft, ready to “burst” at a touch!

Cherry or grape tomatoes – 500g/1lb, about 4 cups in total, 2 standard Australian punnets. Because we are roasting them, they are delicious even when they are not in their summer prime. But imagine how good this dish is when cherry tomatoes are at their sweetest! Eschalot (US: Shallot) – Also known as French onions and called “shallots” in the US. They are like baby onions, but with purple-skinned flesh. Not to be confused with what some people in Australia call “shallots”, ie. the long green onions. More delicate and not as sharp as ordinary onions so you don’t end up with giant lumps of onion with the tomatoes. Substitute with a garlic clove, finely minced white part of green onions, or finely shaved red onion. Sherry vinegar – A little drizzle of vinegar to cut through all the olive oil and rich cheese really lifts this dish, I find. Use any clear(ish) vinegar that’s not as sharp as plain white vinegar. eg. like white wine vinegar, red wine or apple cider vinegar. Standard olive oil – For roasting the tomatoes. No need to use your good stuff for cooking. GOOD extra virgin olive oil – For drizzling over the dish at the end! This is what you use your good stuff for. Better flavour, richer colour!

How to make Bursty Tomato Burrata Salad

The tomatoes only take 10 minutes in the oven to become softened and a bit wrinkly but still holding their shape. The perfect state of almost-bursting (we want most of the actual bursting to happen in our mouth!).

How to handle the burrata:

Now, burrata time! Nothing needs to be done to prepare it, we use it straight out of the tub. Transfer – Then gently transfer the tomatoes to a serving plate, in a single layer. Do you see a theme in the instructions here? 😂 Burratas are delicate – the mozzarella shell is thin and barely holding in that molten creamy good inside. Fairy fingers are essential here to avoid a burrata explosion in your hands. Not fun, my friends! (Says the girl who did it just 2 days ago). And here it is, 5 seconds later. Here’s your masterpiece before everyone gets stuck in. A glorious plate of rustic perfection! Honestly, for a burrata plate this big which would easily serve 2 if not 3 people for lunch, I’d expect to pay upwards of $30 at a trendy bistro – plus bread which they’d probably charge another $10 for. All the ingredients here cost me around $15, bearing in mind you only use about 1/4 of a full batch of pesto (it freezes perfectly). Colourful, bright food that’s made for sharing, perfectly imperfect delicious mess. This is 100% my kind of food! – Nagi x