If there is one thing I want you to add to your summer rotation immediately, it is blistered cherry tomatoes. A hot skillet, a little olive oil, and a handful of peak-season tomatoes are honestly all you need to create something that tastes wildly impressive with almost zero effort. I love spooning them over everything from grilled fish (they are incredible alongside Cedar Plank Salmon with Blistered Tomatoes) to toasted bread, or even tossing them into a big bowl of Zucchini Noodles with Roasted Tomatoes for a lighter weeknight dinner. And if you want to stretch those summer flavors even further, throw the leftovers into a gorgeous Cherry and Peach Panzanella. Trust me, once you make these, you will find a reason to make them again before the week is out.
Blistered Cherry Tomatoes at a Glance
- 🕒 Total Time: 15 minutes (5 min prep + 10 min in the skillet)
- 👪 Servings: 4 as a side or topping
- 🍝 Cuisine Type: American / Summer Side
- 🧂 Flavor Profile: Jammy burst tomatoes with sweet softened shallots, golden garlic, and a shower of fresh basil and parsley
- 📖 Dietary Info: Vegan and gluten-free as written
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate 4 days and they honestly improve; spoon over fish, toast, eggs, pasta, and grain bowls all week; a splash of the pan juices is the sauce, save every drop
- ⭐Why You'll Love It: A hot skillet turns even average cherry tomatoes into a jammy, saucy situation that upgrades everything it touches. Ten minutes, one pan, and the leftovers might be better than round one. This is the most useful thing you can do with a farmers market haul.
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Why I Love This Recipe
The current scene in my kitchen is pretty awesome if you ask me. My countertops look like the most colorful jewelry box made of tons of different produce that I hauled home from the market this past weekend. They are lined with gorgeous cherry tomatoes, bright and colorful pluots, a variety of different melons and all sorts of other colorful gems. Summer is without a doubt my favorite time for produce because it's all so vibrant and cheerful, cherry tomatoes in particular! Half the time I pop these tomatoes in my mouth like candy, and the other half of the time I transform them into these Blistered Cherry Tomatoes and can then live on top of any main course or act as a side dish. They'd also be excellent on top of some homemade naan as a quick and easy lunch.
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Ingredients
- 2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- Fresh Basil
- Flat leaf Parsley
- Kosher Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Substitutions & Swaps
🍅 Tomatoes
- Heirloom cherry tomatoes (called for) - Mixed colors blister at slightly different rates, which is exactly the charm
- Sungolds - The sweetest cherry there is; they burst into instant sauce
- Grape tomatoes - Thicker skins take a minute or two longer but hold their shape better
- Winter supermarket cherry tomatoes - Honestly the best reason to make this; blistering rescues mediocre tomatoes
🧅 Aromatics
- Shallots (called for) - Sweeter and finer than onion; they melt into the pan juices
- Red onion, finely sliced - Punchier; give it a head start in the pan
- Extra garlic, no allium base - The minimalist version; still great
🌿 Herbs
- Basil + flat-leaf parsley (called for) - Torn in off the heat so they stay bright
- Thyme sprigs, in the pan - Sturdy enough to cook with the tomatoes; pull the stems before serving
- Oregano or marjoram - Pizza-adjacent direction; use a light hand
- Chives, after - Oniony freshness if the shallots got skipped
✨ Finishes
- A knob of butter at the end - Glosses the pan juices into a real sauce (no longer vegan)
- Balsamic or sherry vinegar, a few drops - Sharpens the jammy sweetness
- Chili crisp or Calabrian chile paste - Heat that loves burst tomatoes
- Burrata underneath - Spoon the hot tomatoes over cold burrata and call it dinner with bread
🍅🔥🌿 Tips & Tricks for the Best Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
One hot skillet, ten minutes, and a jar of summer that goes on everything
- Get the skillet properly hot before the tomatoes go in. The oil should shimmer. Blistering is a high-heat event; a warm pan just stews them.
- Keep the tomatoes whole and dry. Whole tomatoes trap their juice until they burst on their own; halved ones bleed out immediately and simmer instead of blister.
- Don't stir for the first two minutes. Blisters come from contact. Let them sit, then shake the pan instead of stirring.
- Salt at the end, not the start. Early salt pulls the juice out before the skins can char; late salt seasons the sauce the burst tomatoes just made.
- Add the garlic after the tomatoes have color. Garlic burns long before tomatoes blister; it needs only the last 2 minutes.
- Use a lid as a shield, slightly ajar. Bursting tomatoes spit hot juice; an offset lid blocks the splatter without steaming away the char.
- Pull the pan when about half have burst. Half burst, half intact is the perfect texture; fully collapsed is sauce (delicious, but a different recipe).
- Smash a few against the pan for instant sauce. The back of a wooden spoon on three or four tomatoes turns the pan juices into something you'll want bread for.
- Herbs go in off the heat. Basil and parsley wilt from residual warmth alone; in the live pan they go black in seconds.
- Make a double batch and refrigerate. They keep 4 days, taste better on day two, and turn eggs, toast, fish, and pasta into actual meals.
FAQs
What are blistered cherry tomatoes?
Blistered cherry tomatoes are whole cherry tomatoes cooked fast in a very hot, lightly oiled skillet until the skins char and pop and the insides go jammy. With shallots, garlic, and fresh herbs they become a 10-minute topping-slash-side that works on fish, pasta, toast, and eggs. It's the fastest way to make even average tomatoes taste like peak summer.
Why do you blister tomatoes whole instead of halved?
Whole tomatoes keep their juice sealed inside while the skins char, then burst into a ready-made sauce. Halved tomatoes bleed out immediately, drop the pan temperature, and simmer instead of blister. Whole is non-negotiable for this technique.
How do you blister tomatoes without splattering the stove?
Use a lid held slightly ajar as a splatter shield, and make sure the tomatoes are completely dry before they hit the oil. Wet tomatoes plus hot oil is the entire problem. A deep skillet helps too.
Can I use grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?
Yes; grape tomatoes have thicker skins, so give them an extra minute or two and expect them to hold their shape more than burst. Sungolds go the other way and collapse into instant sauce. Any small tomato works.
What do you eat blistered cherry tomatoes with?
Spoon them over grilled fish, burrata with bread, scrambled eggs, pasta, or grain bowls; the jammy pan juices are the sauce. They keep 4 days refrigerated and arguably improve overnight. One batch quietly upgrades a week of meals.
Blistered Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 pints heirloom cherry tomatoes
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 shallots finely sliced
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- Fresh Basil
- Flat leaf Parsley
- Kosher Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Using your heaviest cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat.
- Add the shallots and garlic and saute for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and let sit for 2 minutes until they start to blister. Give them a quick stir, turn off the heat, and let them sit for another 2 minutes or so. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of torn basil and parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Information (estimated)
Photo Credit: Matt Armendariz / Food Styling Credit: Adam Pearson / Recipe: What's Gaby Cooking
I take mushrooms, scallions, cherry or grape tomatoes , Saute in butter and organic olive oil till a little soft. Add 3 garlic cloves , hand crushed in cast iron skillet.Saute garlic but don't burn them as they'll make everything bitter add marasala wine.and cook all in a cast iron skillet till marsala wine reduces.set aside till main course is ready.
I don't measure everything is done by eye. Just like Mom & Gram did.
How do you get the skillet hot enough to blister the tomatoes, but not burn the garlic? I followed the recipe, but I guess my skillet wasn't hot enough, b/c the tomatoes needed more time. The garlic burned.
I just picked a ton of cherry tomatoes from my fathers garden, I cant wait to make this dish! BTW I love your photograph of the dish on the blue plank with the antique fork. That is the best photo I have seen on Pinterest.
I cannot wait for tomatoes to come in (if ever) in my garden so I can make these! Love the suggestion of eating it with naan, I love making that too! Though I could eat tomatoes like chips all day long
Definitely making these for my family this summer! So awesome!
your blistered tomatoes are perfection! as are the photos 🙂
These would be fabulous on the zucchini noodles that you turned me on to!!!
LOVE!!!!
Such beautiful colors!! Oh my, and they look like they're just bursting with flavor!!
these look delicious! I could pop them like candy!
Love the colors/contrasts of the last pic! And love cherry tomatoes! pinned
My garden is oozing with little red tomatoes. Can't wait to try these!
I absolutely love blistered tomatoes! Those are gorgeous and sound delicious!
This is the ONLY way to eat tomatoes. There is nothing better!
These are perfect! I love that blistered look!
Thank you for the nice recipe and have a Super-Duper Week!
I just picked tomatoes from our garden! Perfect timing!
I agree. Our tomatoes have just started coming in and this is the perfect timing!