This is definitely a big hit with all the family. It really is worth the effort to make this from scratch. Juicy and plump tomatoes are simmered down with sweet onion and garlic until rich, thick and luscious. Such a great way to preserve fragrant and ripe tomatoes at their best. I started to make this when we lived in London and good ‘Tomate Frito’ was hard to find. There’s nothing better than knowing exactly what goes into this sauce and being able to control the salt and sugar levels to your taste. My girls love a supper of ‘Tomate Frito’ Fried Tomato Sauce with ‘Arroz a la Cubana’ Cuban Style Rice – white fluffy rice, rich and creamy fried egg, tangy fried tomato sauce with a side of sweet plantains. Make this sauce in big batches so you’ll always have some to hand and can rustle up something nutritious and quick when the kids ask ‘What’s for dinner?’

Fried Tomato Sauce – Tomate Frito

Fried Tomato Sauce

  • Cook Time: 10 min prep 40 min cook
  • Persons: 8
  • Difficulty: Easy

  • Ingredients
  • 3.5 lbs of ripe tomatoes
  • 1/2 onion 
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp vinegar (I use sherry vinegar)
  • 1/2 tbsp salt
  1. Instructions
  2. Start by peeling and finely dicing half an onion.
  3. Then peel and finely chop the garlic cloves.
  4. Wash and dry the tomatoes well. Now roughly chop removing the top hard core of the tomato.
  5. Heat oil in wide pan to medium. Fry the onion for around 10 minutes until translucent.
  6. Add the garlic and 1/2 the salt to the pan with the onion and fry for 3 minutes. 
  7. Now add the tomatoes and remaining salt. Keep the mixture moving every minute or so in the pan. 
  8. Let the tomatoes simmer for 30 minutes. 
  9. By now the tomatoes should have reduced considerably. Add the vinegar and sugar.
  10. Stir and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
  11. Taste the sauce for seasoning.
  12. Leave to cool for at least 20 minutes before you blend in a food processor on high for 2 minutes to break down the pulp and skin. 

Top Tips

  • Essential to the flavor of this recipe is super ripe tomatoes. I used vine tomatoes for this dish. 
  • This sauce is also fabulous with tinned tomatoes. Substitute the fresh tomatoes for two large tins (1lb 12 oz per tin) of good quality crushed or diced tomatoes. Reduce the cooking time by 10 minutes.
  • Turn this into a vibrant and aromatic pizza sauce by adding a generous pinch of oregano to the fried tomato sauce per pizza topping.
  • Want to turn a simple red sauce pasta into something special? Cook your pasta according to the instructions. Combine with the fried tomato sauce and then add a handful of chopped fresh basil and a torn up ball of fresh mozzarella. 

Fried Tomato Sauce – Tomate Frito

Sweet and tangy and oh so versatile ‘Tomate Frito’ Fried Tomato Sauce is a life saver to have handy in the refrigerator or freezer. It makes a great pasta sauce, perfect salsa for ‘Arroz a la Cubana’ Cuban Style Rice, and a fabulous bed for a fresh piece of flaky cod ‘Bacalao con Tomate’ Cod with Tomato Sauce.