There’s something beautiful about hot, caramelized peaches placed over fragrant basil that makes this more than just a salad. —Katy Beskow

An oval platter topped with grilled peach, basil, and walnut salad

Grilled Peach, Basil, and Walnut Salad

5 / 2 votes
You can forget the expensive, hard to find ingredients that nobody knows how to pronounce. You’ll find everything you need in your local supermarket.
David Leite
CourseSalad
CuisineAmerican
Servings4 servings
Calories178 kcal
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time20 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 4 medium (21 oz) ripe peaches, halved and stones removed
  • 2 generous handfuls of watercress
  • 2 handfuls of mâche, lamb’s lettuce
  • 1 ounce fresh basil leaves
  • 2 tablespoons walnut pieces
  • Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 lemon (optional)
  • Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Instructions 

  • Preheat a grill or grill pan over high heat.
  • Place the peaches, cut-side down, and cook until caramelized with grill marks, 4 to 5 minutes.

    ☞ TESTER TIP: If your peaches are very large or very firm, they may need a few extra minutes on the grill.

  • While the peaches are grilling, divvy the watercress, mâche/lamb’s lettuce, and basil between four plates.
  • Arrange the hot peaches on top of the leaves.
  • In a small skillet over medium-high heat, or using the same grill pan you used for the peaches, toast the walnuts until fragrant, 30 to 90 seconds. Sprinkle them over the salad.
  • Drizzle with the olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, if desired, season with black pepper and serve.
15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food Cookbook

Adapted From

15 Minute Vegan Comfort Food

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 portionCalories: 178 kcalCarbohydrates: 17 gProtein: 4 gFat: 12 gSaturated Fat: 1 gSodium: 12 mgPotassium: 534 mgFiber: 3 gSugar: 13 gVitamin A: 3431 IUVitamin C: 31 mgCalcium: 68 mgIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2018 Katy Beskow. Photo © 2018 Dan Jones. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

Place this lovely salad in your peach season recipe file. Its ease and simplicity make this a keeper. The in-season grilled peaches are absolutely fantastic, especially paired with the fresh basil. Add any toasted nut to this recipe, we used pecans due to a walnut allergy, for the requisite crunch. We particularly loved the simple drizzle of olive oil rather than a dressing as it really allowed the featured ingredients to shine through. And for those that don’t prefer grilled fruit, toss them in as fresh. This grilled peach, basil, and walnut salad is a salad to satisfy!

As the recipe says, “there’s something beautiful about hot, caramelized peaches” and that’s totally true. I thought the peach halves would be too big, but the brief grill made them soft and warm throughout with a delicious caramel top. The end result was a filling—almost decadent—grilled peach, basil, and walnut salad that was definitely more of a summer meal than a side dish. My only additions would be a little lemon juice in the dressing for a hint of acid to balance the sweet peaches and some extra walnuts for maximum texture and crunch. This salad is peachy perfection.

This grilled peach, basil, and walnut salad is a perfect combination of ingredients, for a fresh, sweet, bitter, nutty salad, ideal as a summer meal. Use very ripe peaches, and if you want to add other ingredients, for an enriched meal, it goes so well with burrata or fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, vinaigrette sauce with honey or just some balsamic vinegar.

This grilled peach, basil, and walnut salad was really good and easy to make. The combination of peaches with greens and nuts added a nice crunch.




About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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