How to Make the Perfect Tomato Sandwich, According to a Tomato-Obsessed Southerner

I have been obsessed with tomatoes for my entire eating life. Living in Virginia, I grew up traipsing through summer gardens and picking off the ripest, warmest tomatoes for a snack. In high school, I would cut class to walk over to the Roanoke Co-Op and buy heirloom tomatoes to eat on a park bench out front.

These days, I’ve got my own garden full of Sungolds, Juliets, and Mortgage Lifters to share with my family and neighbors. The devotion is deep, and I think it qualifies me to speak to how to make the perfect tomato sandwich.

There are plenty of ways to combine tomatoes and bread. There’s panzanella and pan con tomate. There are caprese sandwiches, loaded with fresh mozzarella and fragrant basil, drizzled with olive oil.

This is not that. This is the quintessential Southern sandwich composed of three humble ingredients: white bread, real mayonnaise, and perfectly ripe summer tomatoes. The formula is unassailable in its simplicity, and the result is, potentially, transcendent. Let’s take a look at each ingredient.

The Best Bread for Tomato Sandwiches

Though I love crusty sourdough, seedy wheat loaves, and chewy baguettes, for a perfect tomato sandwich, you need to embrace the bagged white bread you can find at any grocery store. Your Wonder Bread, your Sunbeam sandwich bread. If it doesn’t come in a plastic bag with a little plastic tab holding it closed, it’s not meant for this sandwich. And don’t try to sneak in protein or whole grains here either, just trust the process.

In a perfect tomato sandwich, the white bread is fluffy and soft. It absorbs a little mayo and tomato juice, but not too much because you’re eating this sandwich seconds after you make it. It’s a blank canvas, a ground zero, really little more than a vessel for letting the tomato remind you why, when it’s in season, there’s nothing like it.

The Best Mayonnaise for Tomato Sandwiches

I have lived almost my entire life in the South, and for me, that means there is only one right answer when it comes to the best mayonnaise for tomato sandwiches: It’s Duke’s, with a big “duh” and an eye roll to follow.

Duke’s, which was invented 1917 by Eugenia Duke in Greenville, South Carolina, has the perfect velvety spreadability and just the right amount of ‘twang’ to enhance but not mask the juicy tomatoes.

Yes, you could use another mayo to make a tomato sandwich. Your favorite mayonnaise will probably get the job done, and no alarms will go off; the tomato sandwich police will not arrive at your doorstep. But for argument’s sake, try it with Duke’s and let me know how it goes.

The Best Tomatoes for Tomato Sandwiches

Surprisingly, the actual tomato itself is where tomato sandwich makers have the most flexibility. The most important thing is that the tomato is ripe and full of peak-season tomato flavor. For that reason, late-season tomatoes are especially delightful, though I personally rush to make a tomato sandwich as soon as the first ripe, red tomato shows up on the vine. But later in the summer, my patience is rewarded with a tomato that shines in all its brilliant tomato-y-ness.

The size of the tomato is more important than the specific varietal. It’s not the time for cherry tomatoes—you need a big boy, like a Beefsteak or a Brandywine, something that feels heavy in your hand. A red tomato with a balance of acidity and sweetness is ideal, but you could make a great tomato sandwich with a yellow tomato, like the Kellogg’s Breakfast or Striped German, or even a green tomato, like the Green Zebra.

When looking for a ripe tomato, trust your senses—bold, bright colors are ideal, and the tomato should be soft but not mushy with an earthy, slightly sweet aroma.

Tips for Making the Perfect Tomato Sandwich

• You can toast the bread if you prefer, but keep the toasting level light so the bread is still soft.
• For the best flavor, sprinkle the tomato slices with a little kosher salt before adding them to the bread. You can also add a few cracks of black pepper, if you like.
• Enjoy your tomato sandwich as soon as you make it, standing over the kitchen sink or, even better, outside, because it will likely be (gloriously) drippy.

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