How to Make Tomato Water (and What to Do With It)

You've had your fill of caprese salads, fresh marinara sauce, and BLTs. Now what do you do with a garden full of nearly bursting, ultra-juicy tomatoes? You make tomato water. The distilled essence of tomato's vibrant goodness, tomato water is easy to make and incredibly useful.

To make tomato water, line a large colander with cheesecloth and set it over a bowl. Chop super-ripe tomatoes, toss them with a little salt, then set them in the cloth-lined colander. Cover the colander with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. What's left in the bowl is the sweetest concentration of tomatoey deliciousness you'll ever taste. Here are six ways to make the most of your tomato water.

Tomato Water Bloody Marys

Bloody Marys can be filling, but using fresh tomato water, as pictured above, makes them especially light and refreshing.

Pan-Seared Halibut with Tomato Vinaigrette

Alaskan halibut is the star of this dish. Chef and restaurateur Shawn McClain likes to sear the delicate filets and then bathes them with a warm tomato-water vinaigrette.

? Tina Rupp

Tomato Tartare with Tomato Water

Jacques Pépin's tomato tartare has the look of the original beef tartare and is delightfully refreshing for a first course. For the sauce, he emulsifies tomato water with olive oil and then garnishes the dish with herbs.

Tomato Sorbet

This sorbet is simplicity itself. Andrew Zimmern makes this recipe all summer long with everything from orange sunburst cherry tomatoes to Valencias to German Striped. He says the bigger the acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes, the better.

? Madeleine Hill

No-Cook Tomato Buttermilk Soup

You can make this soup with tomato water for a pure-white chilled soup, or use drained tomato puree for a quicker, more rustic version.

Green Zebra Tomatoes with Tomato-Dashi Sorbet

In this second take on tomato sorbet, F&W Best New Chef 2017 Noah Sandoval highlights summer's sweetest tomatoes by serving them alongside a savory dashi-and-tomato-water-based sorbet.

Bobby Fisher This recipe is truly an ode to this warm weather fruit in the most creative way. F&W Best New Chef 2017 Noah Sandoval, of Chicago’s Oriole, highlights summer’s sweetest tomatoes by serving them alongside a savory dashi-and-tomato-water-based sorbet. The dish is cold and refreshing—ideal for a hot summer day.