Grilled Peach Salad With A Kick

I found the BEST summer side dish.  It’s a savory grilled peach salad recipe with a lemon, honey and jalapeno dressing.  Quick cooking in a skillet or over a grill intensifies the natural sweetness of the peaches, by far the best summer salad you’ve ever had. And gorgeous to boot! 

The cross between the warm grilled sweet peaches and the cool, creamy fresh mozzarella topped with a dressing with just the right hint of citrus and heat, meaning spice from the jalapeno.  And did I say it’s super easy!?  July and August are perfect for a Grilled Peach Salad as that’s the fruits prime season.

I found this savory grilled peach salad recipe in a magazine called Olive.  Well, I’ve altered it quite a bit, primarily to use more readily available ingredients.  If you ever see the Olive magazine buy it, I’ve tried several of their recipes….all a hit.

How To Make Our Grilled Peach Salad Recipe

Wash the fruit, pepper and herb.  Prepare according to recipe.

Make the dressing first by mixing the oil, lemon zest and juice, honey, diced jalapeno and kosher salt in a small bowl and set aside.

Warm a grill pan or skillet over high heat on the stove or preheat your grill.  Brush skillet or grill grates with a little oil.  Place the peaches / nectarines cut side down and grill until brown or slight char.  Flip to other cut side.  This should only take 3-4 minutes.

While peaches cook, tear the mozzarella into bite size pieces onto the serving platter.  Sprinkle a pinch of kosher salt over the mozzarella.  You can use bocconcini, little mozzarella balls or cut the mozzarella into small pieces.  I like the rustic look of tearing the cheese.

Add warm peaches / nectarines to serving plate.  Pour oil over the fruit and cheese.  Top with mint.  Enjoy!

What’s The Difference Between A Peach And A Nectarine?

Not much really.

Both peaches and nectarines look and taste similar. They both come in yellow or white varieties. And both come as freestone or clingstone.

Freestone means that the pit falls away from the fruit easily when cut and clingstone is just what it sounds like. The pit tends to cling to the fruit. Rarely do I see peaches or nectarines labeled as such, but a fun fact to know!

To me the main difference is that peaches have a fuzzy skin and nectarines have a smooth skin. I prefer nectarines for this main reason, they also seem to be less temperamental to bruising and ripening too fast. That’s not scientific, just my experience.

How To Tell If A Peach Is Ripe

You’ll want a little give when gently squeezing the peach or nectarine, but still firm.  If it’s overly ripe the peach will fall apart when you grill it. 

This grilled peach salad recipe also works well with peaches that aren’t quite ripe and wouldn’t taste as sweet raw. The heat brings out the sweetness and a brilliant color.

Same goes for a nectarine.

Ingredient Substitutions

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese – Burrata is actually the cheese called for from the Olive recipe.  If you aren’t familiar with Burrata, it is decadently delicious.    Basically, fresh mozzarella with a creamy center.  It can be a little difficult to find which is why I call for regular fresh mozzarella.

You can also use bocconcini, those little mozzarella balls you see in the deli section.

Goat cheese is a great option as well.  Or for a little sweeter taste try mascarpone cheese or whipped cream cheese.

Peaches – Nectarines are great substitutes, especially for people that don’t care for the fuzzy exterior of peaches.  Plums will work as well. In the video I used clingstone nectarines.

Jalapeno – You can skip jalapenos if your guests don’t care for them.  But really, they don’t add a ton of heat, just a nice complement to the sweetness of the peach or nectarine.  Use any chili that you have, red or green.

Lemon – Fresh lemon juice is best, but in a pinch,  you can use lime juice.

Mint – I used to avoid mint, not sure why.  Maybe it’s because it took me YEARS to get rid of a mint plant in my garden that overtook everything.  For whatever reason, I’m so glad I’ve opened my mind back to mint.  It adds a really bright flavor to dishes, especially when paired with fruit.

Mint is my favorite herb in this grilled peaches recipe, but basil can be used in place of mint.  It has a different flavor profile but goes well with the peaches, lemon and chili.  Thyme also pairs well with the peaches or nectarines.

Olive Oil – I like the rich taste that olive oil imparts.  If necessary, you can use a neutral oil like canola.

How To Take Our Grilled Peach Salad Recipe On-The-Go

Grilled peaches can sit at room temperature for several hours so they are a great idea for lunch at your desk or a backpack.  If over 2 or 3 hours you’ll want to put them in a cooler or with a freezer pack primarily because of the cheese.

If refrigerating them or keeping in a cooler, it’s ideal to warm the grilled peaches in the microwave for 30 seconds, just enough to take the chill off.  Or serve at room temperature.

What To Serve With Our Grilled Peach Salad

First thing that comes to mind is to use this grilled peach salad as a side dish to chicken, beef or pork. 

This summer salad also make an unusual dessert on its own or served over vanilla ice cream. Great contrast between the sweet ice cream and the savory grilled peaches.

Add to Greek yogurt for a flavor blast. Great for breakfast, lunch or a snack

Or cut a bit smaller and toss with a green salad.  A real summer treat!

Time Savers and Make Ahead Tips For Grilled Peach Salad

You can tear the mozzarella up to a day or two prior.  Store in a covered container in the refrigerator and remove to room temperature at least 30 minutes before serving.

The lemon chili oil can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days prior to serving.

Cut the peaches or nectarines just before grilling so that they don’t deteriorate.   Same with cutting the mint.

Try These Other Summer Sides

Caprese On A Stick

Olive Garden Salad