The Absolute Best Tomato Sandwiches Use This Flavor-Boosting Ingredient

It's unclear when the first tomato sandwiches were eaten, but the first printed reference of them is from a 1911 Virginia Chronicle newspaper. However, there's no denying they are a favorite in the South. While Southerners are particular about how their tomato sandwiches are made, sticking to sliced tomatoes on bread with salt, pepper, and mayo, others enjoy adding unique ingredients (like adding pesto for a gourmet upgrade or adding chamoy, the Mexican condiment that transforms plain tomato sandwiches into a sweet and spicy delight). However, for the best tomato sandwiches, miso paste is the ultimate flavor booster.

Believe it or not, miso is for more than just soup. It's made from fermented soy beans and rice koji (a safe-to-eat mold that grows on the grain) and is packed full of earthy umami notes and salty goodness that add complexity to a multitude of dishes. Because tomatoes are inherently rich with umami flavor, miso paste is the perfect addition. Tomatoes derive their umami qualities from their high glutamic acid content, which increases the longer they ripen. Just as a drop of miso paste can punch up the flavor of classic tomato sauce, it amps up tomato sandwiches with even more umami flavor.

Before adding miso paste to your next tomato sandwich, consider the two main types sold in most grocery stores. Each offers a slightly different flavor. Red miso has a more intense earthy, salty flavor and a dark, reddish color. White miso is not fermented for as long as red miso and has a sweeter, muted flavor and a lighter hue. Either can be used to make the best tomato sandwich you've ever had, and there are a few ways of incorporating it.

Infusing your mayonnaise with additional seasonings and flavor is one sandwich making hack you definitely need to know and works well for tomato sandwiches. Just mix ½ teaspoon of miso with 1 tablespoon of your favorite mayonnaise. (Duke's is the Southern standby and Alton Brown's favorite mayo brand.) If you're comfortable straying from the traditional recipe even more, you could whisk honey, mustard, and miso together in a bowl and mix in some roasted cherry tomatoes for an open-faced sandwich. Another option is to spread it on one side of each piece of bread with some butter, and then toast the slices in a frying pan (miso-buttered sides down). After all, toasted bread is all you need to combat soggy tomato sandwiches.

Despite these options, you don't have to go through the extra step of mixing the miso with other ingredients before putting it on your sandwich. You can spread it directly on the bread (toasted or not), and add your mayonnaise on top along with salted and peppered tomato slices.