Tomato Salad for Winter Without Sterilizing
A very simple recipe for a winter salad made from summer tomatoes. In winter, it is such a pleasure to open a jar of tasty salad preserved during the vegetable season. In this recipe, the tomatoes undergo minimal heat treatment, so they remain almost as fresh in flavor.
Updated : 19 March, 2026
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
1 kilograms
Tomato
1 liter
Water
2
Onion
4
Garlic
3
Laurel leaf
10
Peppercorns
3 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
3 tablespoon
Vinegar 5%
2.5 tablespoon
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make tomato salad for winter without sterilizing? First of all, sterilize the jars. This is necessary because we will not be sterilizing the salad itself. There are many ways to sterilize jars. I usually do it in the oven. To do this, place the jars into a cold oven, then turn it on to 120°C (250°F). Keep the jars there for about 15 minutes. Then carefully remove the hot jars using oven mitts. Do this right before filling them with the ingredients.
Step 2
Sterilize the lids for the jars by boiling them. Put them into cold water, bring it to a boil, and boil them for a few minutes. Remove the lids from the water just before you need to cover the jars. It does not matter which lids you use - screw-top lids or lids for sealing with a key - they are sterilized in the same way.
Step 3
Prepare the ingredients for making the salad. I made half of the recipe. Use good water, either filtered or bottled. Even though it goes into the brine, its taste affects the flavor of the preserves.
Step 4
Peel the onion and cut it into half-rings.
Step 5
Cut the garlic into thin slices.
Step 6
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly under running water. Cut each tomato into quarters. Remove the stems.
Step 7
Place the bay leaf, peppercorns, and sliced garlic into the bottom of the jars.
Step 8
Then arrange the tomatoes and onion in layers in the jars. Do not pack the jars too tightly so the tomato wedges do not break. If you are fond of onion, you can add even more. My half kilo of tomatoes fit into two half-liter jars.
Step 9
Boil water in a kettle. Pour boiling water into the jars right up to the top.
Step 10
Cover them with the prepared lids and leave them standing like that for 15-20 minutes.
Step 11
Pour the water from the jars into a saucepan. It will not be very hot because the tomatoes will cool the hot water down. When pouring, hold the lid against the jar so the tomatoes do not fall into the saucepan. After I poured the water out of the jars, I measured its amount. I got about 250 ml, about 1 cup. Your result may be different. It depends on how tightly you packed the jars with tomatoes.
Step 12
I advise always measuring the water that you poured out of the jars so you can calculate the amount of ingredients for the marinade. In the recipe, they are given for 1 liter of water. Calculate how much you need in your case. Put the saucepan on the heat. Bring it to a boil, add the sugar and salt, and bring it to a boil again. Add the vinegar and oil, stir, and turn off the heat. The brine is ready.
Step 13
Pour the brine into the jars. Immediately screw the lids on. If you use metal lids for sealing, use a special sealing tool.
Step 14
Turn the closed jars upside down to additionally sterilize the lids.
Step 15
First cover the jars with a towel, then wrap them in something thick to keep the heat longer - a blanket, clothing, or a terry towel. Keep the jars like this until they cool completely. You can store this salad in a cool place outside the refrigerator; thanks to the vinegar and the acidity of the tomatoes, it does not spoil. The tomatoes will be ready in about 2 weeks.
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