Cross-Mediterranean caprese with fried onions and sumac

This version of a caprese salad takes a trip around the Mediterranean: The classic Italian mozzarella and tomatoes, plus Middle Eastern seasonings — fried onions, sumac and cumin.

I used cherry tomatoes (plum cherry tomatoes, to be precise), which tend to be sweeter than regular tomatoes, and thus work very well when tomatoes are the centerpiece of the dish.

Sumac is a burgundy-colored spice with a light tangy flavor. Obviously, this spice is not the same plant as poison sumac or poison ivy; it’s a benign relative. (More information on sumac.) If it’s not something you keep around your kitchen, you could leave it out of this recipe. Most of the seasoning comes from the fried onions anyway.

You can also check out my mozzarella-caper-herb salad.

For two servings:

200 grams cherry tomatoes
100 grams mozzarella
1 small purple onion
1/8 teaspoon ground sumac
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
olive oil for frying

Thinly dice the onion, and fry in the olive oil in a small frying pan until crunchy and golden.

Meanwhile, dice the tomatoes and mozzarella into bite-sized cubes. Toss with the sumac, cumin and salt, and top with the fried onions.