Summer Grilled Peach Salad with Burrata

Resting on a bed of crisp arugula, sweet grilled peaches, partner with summer fresh blueberries, crisp toasted pecans, creamy avocado and buttery burrata and topped with balsamic honey mustard dressing to create an epic summer salad. This grilled peach salad has the brilliant combination of sweet, savory, crisp and creamy. Impress your guests with this simple, colorful summer salad.

Life is always better in summer, partly thanks to the freshest seasonal produce I enjoy so much. Fruits, berries, veggies and herbs are flooding shops and markets, so I can’t leave without buying the freshest and the most delicious summer produce.

Since we are well into stone fruit season right now, I thought that peaches deserve my closest attention, so I bought two kg (about 4.4 lbs).

When sweet grilled peaches are paired with ingredients like toasted pecans, creamy burrata, avocado and arugula something special happens. It’s like an orchestration of flavor, and texture that dances on your taste buds. 

If you’re anything like me, you know how delightful raw peaches are. I especially like eating them raw for breakfast but in this peach salad recipe I went a bit more creative and developed a savory recipe. It turned out to be an absolute success!

Why Make Savory Peach Salad?

Impress your guests with this really simple, colorful and delicious burrata and peach salad. My intention creating this dish was to create a savory side dish that you can easily prepare for your next barbecue.

I love it because it takes no more than 15 minutes to throw together and it’s really flavorful and refreshing!

When it’s hot outside I’m always on the lookout for salads for the summer. I like to make a big main dish salad for dinner as they are chock-full of fresh nutrients. Especially arugula which helps you to cleanse your body.

Other summer salads I absolutely adore and are sure to satisfy any summer salad cravings are this Watermelon and Feta salad, Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salad with Zucchini and Mexican Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing.

 

How to Pick a Perfect Peach

Peaches are one of those rare fruits, that have to be eaten when perfectly ripe. The difference in flavor, fragrance and texture between a ripe peach and an unripe one is enormous.

When choosing peaches, avoid peaches with wrinkly skin, bruises and scratches.

Take the ones that smell great, as no smell means no taste in this case.

The good news is that if you bought unripe peaches, you can ripen them at home.

Let them sit on the kitchen counter at room temperature for a few days until they become very fragrant. A peach is ripe when it has a bit of give when you squeeze it.

Another sign to look at is the yellow hue at the stem end. The more intense the color is, the more ripe the peach is.

You can also speed up the ripening process by putting them in a paper bag.

 

How To Grill Peaches

Grilled peach and burrata salad are the stars in this dish. If you’ve never grilled peaches before, you’ve got to try it this summer! They taste so good because of their fragrant aroma and tender flesh.

If your grill is turned on anyway, just throw some peach or nectarine halves and enjoy.

Even if the bbq isn’t fired up, go ahead and use a griddle pan, like I did. Either way, if you are a peach fan like me, you will love the taste of grilled peaches. 

When choosing peaches (either for the grilled peach burrata salad or for any other purpose), opt for perfectly ripe ones. They shouldn’t be mushy or rock hard. 

To grill them, brush the pitted peach halves with olive oil and put on a grill with the slice down for about 3-4 minutes each side.

Ingredients

For this peach arugula salad gather the following ingredients:

• Peaches;
• Blueberries ;
• Arugula;
• Burrata;
• Red onion;
• Avocado;
• Pecans.

For the balsamic honey mustard dressing you’ll need:

• Olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Honey
• Dijon mustard
• Salt
• Black pepper

For the garnish: 

• Chopped basil;
• Tabasco chipotle (optional);
• Balsamic glaze;
• Red chili flakes (optional).

How to Make the Salad

• Grill the peaches (see instructions above).
• Divide arugula among 4 plates, place sliced grilled peaches and diced avocado on top.
• Break burrata with your hands in smaller pieces (alternatively, quarter it and add one piece on a plate).
• Add blueberries, sliced onion, toasted pecans and chopped basil. Pour the dressing over the salad.
• Drizzle with balsamic glaze and Tabasco chipotle (optional). Sprinkle with chili flakes (optional).

Alternatively, add all the ingredients in a large salad bowl and give it a stir.

Serve as a side dish or light main course.

Serving Options

This arugula salad with peaches is amazing on it’s own as a main dish salad. But it’s equally delicious as a side to anything you’re bbqing.

Even if you’re not in the grilling mood, use a griddle for this grilled peach salad and serve it as a side to a fresh loaf of bread with butter, a sandwich, a panini, or even a big pan of roasted veggies. Another idea would be this delicious and quick flatbread pizza Margherita.

For more summer salad options, check out this savory Zucchini Corn Salad.

Top Tips

• Use ripe peaches for grilling, they will taste the best!
• If you have no bbq, or it’s not turned on, just use a griddle.
• Grilled peaches taste best fresh, so use them right away!
• Serve it on its own as a light lunch, or as a side to any bbq, a fresh loaf of bread with butter, a sandwich, a panini, or even a big pan of roasted veggies.
• Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. Keep the dressing in a separate sealed jar and arugula in a plastic bag or container.

 Recipe Variations

• Mix arugula with another type of lettuce if you find the flavor too strong, or skip it altogether and replace with baby spinach or romaine lettuce.
• Instead of blueberries, use strawberries.
• Use mozzarella if you can’t find burrata.
• No peaches on hand? Try using nectarines instead. Grilled nectarines taste amazing as well!
• Skip the red onion if the flavor is too strong for you.
• You can use walnuts instead of pecans.
• Try this avocado dressing with this salad for an extra zesty kick!