Celebrate summer flavors with this light and refreshing Japanese Caprese salad. Ready in 15 minutes from start to finish.
Japanese onion vinaigrette is probably my favorite dressings of all time. Up until a couple of years I would search for it in Japanese grocery stores, unaware of how easy it actually is to make at home.
The combination of sweet, umami, and slightly pungent flavors, make Japanese onion vinaigrette addictive, and extremely versatile. I put it on chicken, meat, green salads, even on certain fruit salads! The classic Japanese pairing for onion dressing is with beefsteak tomatoes.
Since I love Italian Caprese salad, I’ve fused both cuisines to create a deliciously refreshing Japanese Caprese salad.
The ingredients for the dressing are very easy to find: you’ll need a shallot (or an onion), soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and rice vinegar. If you cannot find rice vinegar at the supermarket, go to an Asian grocery store – they will definitely have it.
Rice vinegar is slightly sweeter than regular vinegar – closer to apple cider vinegar but without the fruity element.
I’m using Nakano rice vinegar because it’s a brand I trust and have been working with for ages (made by Mizkan – the most famous rice vinegar brand in Japan).
For this recipe, I am using their original flavor to keep the dressing as authentic as possible.
You can make the dressing ahead of time and keep it refrigerated for up to a week. This Japanese Caprese salad makes an excellent side dish to pasta or the perfect salad to take to your next barbecue.
Other delicious recipes made with rice vinegar:
- Vegan dan dan noodles
- Hoisin chicken with pickled cucumber salad
- Sushi rice egg drop soup
- Cucumber and ginger pickles
- Baked general Tso chicken
Did you like this Japanese Caprese Salad Recipe? Are there changes you made that you would like to share? Share your tips and recommendations in the comments section below!
PrintJapanese Caprese Salad
Celebrate warmer weather with this light and refreshing Japanese Caprese salad – ready in 15 minutes from start to finish!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: none
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 people 1x
- Category: Salads
- Cuisine: Japanese
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 large tomatoes (cut into 1/4-inch thick slices)
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella ball (cut into 1/4-inch thick slices)
- 6 basil leaves (hand torn into bite size pieces)
Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup shallot (finely chopped, or onion)
- 2 tablespoons Nakano rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (or Tamari for gluten free)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients for the dressing in a container that comes with a lid and seal tightly. Shake vigorously until the ingredients have emulsified. Set aside.
- On a medium size plate, layer tomato and mozzarella slices alternatively and top with basil pieces.
- Pour dressing on top and serve immediately.
Notes
Refrigerate the dressing for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 142
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 535.4 mg
- Fat: 3.6 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.8 g
- Fiber: 2.4 g
- Protein: 19.3 g
- Cholesterol: 10.2 mg
Keywords: recipe, side dish
This was the second Pickled Plum recipe I tried. Two for two! Amazing! Very easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Thank you so much, Jane! 🙂
I was looking for something that would go along side Salmon Rice bowls I was making that, and this came up. I give it five stars! We are lucky enough to grow our own tomatoes year round, or I would have probably waited until Summer to try these. These are pretty easy to find ingredients and a quick side for a weeknight meal. Thank you Caroline!
★★★★★
Thank you Kimberly! This is one of my favorite salads because of the tangy dressing! I use it all the time on other veggies, it’s so cleansing and yummy!
Looks so tasty!
Looks great. I need to try this one, thanks a lot
That’s a really refreshing take on the old classic, must try this soon. Thanks for sharing, Caroline! 🙂
★★★★★
Thank you Nicole!