Otherwise known as the world’s most perfect salad! This salad embodies the end of summer with its flavors, textures and even its colors. Salty prosciutto and crunchy, sweet candied pecans with tangy pickled red onions, funky blue cheese and sweet, summery peaches that have a slight char from the grill are all tossed with peppery arugula. It’s all the best things in one bowl!
Here’s what you need:
Any peach that you pick up at a store is either going to be freestone or clingstone. In order to have beautifully halved and grilled peaches, it’s necessary to find the freestone variety. These are generally what are available later in the summer- mid June to mid August. If you are making this salad in the late spring or early summer, I would recommend swapping the peaches for another seasonal fruit like fresh strawberries!
I included recipes for Quick Candied Pecans and Pickled Red Onions at the bottom of this page. Of course, you could totally use store bought, but I do recommend trying your hand at making them. You will be surprised at how simple they are to whip up!
Here’s what you need for the balsamic vinaigrette:
A standard balsamic vinaigrette recipe that I use all the time. Just whisk it together and set it aside.
Grill the peaches.
Halve them by running your knife along the natural seam, then give them a twist and remove the pit. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt.
Place on a hot grill for a few minutes on each side. Once the peach halves have cooled, sliced them thinly and set aside.
Make crispy proscuitto.
Lay the slices on a sheet tray lined with parchment and bake at 400 degrees until crisp, about 12 minutes.
Allow them to cool before breaking them into small pieces.
Toss the arugula, grilled peach slices, pickled red onion, crispy prosciutto, crumbled bleu cheese and candied pecans in a large serving bowl with the vinaigrette.
Because there are many different components to this salad that need to cook and cool, this makes a great salad to bring to a potluck. Just pack everything into separate containers, then give it a toss before serving!
Fresh peaches are unfortunately not available year round, so depending on the season, you could swap for other fruits. Fresh strawberries, like I mentioned earlier, would work perfectly in the spring. And in the fall and winter, I think fresh pears would be so delicious! It’s a beautiful salad no matter the season!
Other recipes to try:
Grilled Peach Salad with Crispy Prosciutto and Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 peaches freestone
- 2 ounces bleu cheese crumbled
- 4 slices proscuitto
- 1/2 cup pickled red onions
- 1 cup candied pecans
- 5 ounces fresh arugula one box
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp honey
- 1 tsp dijon
- pinch salt
Instructions
For the vinaigrette
- Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside
For the crispy prosciutto
- Lay the slices of proscuitto on a sheet pan lined with parchment. Bake for 12 minutes at 400 degrees. Allow to cool and break them up into smaller pieces
For the grilled peaches
- Slice the peaches in half and remove the pits. Brush with oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Grill on medium-high for about 4 minutes on each side. Allow to cool. Remove any skin that is already coming off and slice the peaches into 1/2 inch slices.
Assembling the salad
- In a large bowl combine the arugula with the pickled red onions, crispy proscuitto, crumbled bleu cheese, candied pecans and grilled peaches. Pour over the balsamic vinaigrette and toss to coat.
Quick Candied Pecans
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecan halves
- 2 tbsp butter unsalted
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp water
Instructions
- Toast pecan halves in a dry pan on medium-low for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan. Turn heat to medium. Add the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and water. Stir until the sugar is dissolved then add the pecans to the syrup. Stir the nuts and the syrup together for another 4 or so minutes until the syrup is thick and the nuts are well coated. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake the nuts for 7 minutes at 350. Allow them to cool completely then transfer to an airtight container.
Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 large red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Bring the vinegars, water, sugar and salt to a boil in a small saucepan then pour the mixture into a bowl over the sliced onion. Make sure the onion is fully submerged. Allow to brine for 30 minutes then pour into a jar and store in the refridgerator.