Grilled Tomatoes with Soy Sauce and Yuzu Kosho

Name: Grilled Tomatoes with Soy Sauce and Yuzu Kosho
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H30M
Total time: PT0D0H30M
Yield: 6–8
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: ¼ cup olive oil; 3 Tbsp. soy sauce; 1 Tbsp. red yuzu kosho; 1 tsp. ground sansho pepper; 1 tsp. kosher salt; 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 4 medium tomatoes, cored and halved crosswise; 1 cup coarsely chopped mitsuba, parsley, or cilantro

A handful of Japanese pantry ingredients adds serious flavor to this summer side dish.

Serves
6–8
Time
30 minutes

PHOTO: MURRAY HALL • FOOD STYLING: JESSIE YUCHEN

By Tadashi Ono

Updated on September 1, 2024

Ripe tomatoes develop umami-rich flavor when grilled with a garlic, soy sauce, and yuzu kosho marinade. This recipe calls for red yuzu kosho, which is made from the Japanese citrus yuzu, red chiles, and salt—just a spoonful adds subtle heat and bright fragrance to the marinade. Mitsuba, a Japanese relative of parsley, lends a mild cilantro-like freshness. Serve this simple summer side dish alongside a juicy steak, such as chef and cookbook author Tadashi Ono’s Grilled Porterhouse with Garlic and Miso.

Featured in “The Japanese Grill.”

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. red yuzu kosho
1 tsp. ground sansho pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, cored and halved crosswise
1 cup coarsely chopped mitsuba, parsley, or cilantro

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Instructions

Step 1

In a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, yuzu kosho, sansho pepper, salt, and garlic. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat, then arrange cut side down in the dish. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Step 2

Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high, then bank the coals or turn off the burner on one side. Add the tomatoes cut side down to the hottest part of the grill, reserving the marinade, and cook until slightly charred, 2–4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the tomatoes, then spoon the reserved marinade over the tops and continue grilling without flipping until the tomatoes are slightly caramelized, 6–8 minutes. Garnish with mitsuba and serve.

In a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, whisk together the oil, soy sauce, yuzu kosho, sansho pepper, salt, and garlic. Add the tomatoes and toss to coat, then arrange cut side down in the dish. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high, then bank the coals or turn off the burner on one side. Add the tomatoes cut side down to the hottest part of the grill, reserving the marinade, and cook until slightly charred, 2–4 minutes. Using tongs, flip the tomatoes, then spoon the reserved marinade over the tops and continue grilling without flipping until the tomatoes are slightly caramelized, 6–8 minutes. Garnish with mitsuba and serve.