A beautiful peach & tomato salad to celebrate the end of summer! Full of peppery arugula, crispy torn croutons, creamy goat cheese, pickled fresno peppers, roasted pistachios, sweet dried currants, and a rosemary oil vinaigrette. It’s fresh and vibrant, with a little bit of warmth and lots of texture. It’s the perfect salad to add on to any September meal.
September is my absolute favorite time of year to cook, especially when it comes to cooking with seasonal produce. The farmer’s markets are chock-full of “end of summer” fruits and vegetables, with the first signs of autumn arriving as well. The bounty of ingredients to work with is overwhelming, and I often find myself picking up one of just about everything I see.
In terms of summer, you can still find beautiful berries, heirloom tomatoes, fresh corn, a whole variety of peppers, eggplant, zucchini, plenty of summer squash, and perfectly ripe stone fruit.
At the same time, you’ll start to see autumn squashes, first of the year apples, juicy figs, different varieties of grapes, and even a few pumpkins.
peach & tomato salad – the details
Being right in the middle of seasons, I wanted to create a salad that utilizes summer produce while it’s still here, yet still feels hearty and comforting for the soon-to-be fall days.
And this peach & tomato salad is just that. Fresh rosemary gets fried in olive oil first to infuse it with its warming, herbaceous aroma. This oil is used to make a simple vinaigrette for the juicy, sweet peaches and cherry tomatoes to marinate in. I like to throw in dried currants as well for an unexpected bite.
While the peaches and tomatoes marinate, you’ll tear up some country bread (anything crusty on the outside and soft on the inside will work) and toast it in olive oil to make the freshest, most delicious croutons.
The salad gets assembled on a large platter with a bed of arugula as the base. Then, you can mound all of those marinated peaches and tomatoes over top. Next, toppings galore – the homemade torn croutons, creamy crumbled goat cheese, pickled red fresno peppers for a little heat, and crunchy roasted pistachios.
The rosemary that we used for the oil becomes crisp when fried, so that can be crumbled over top. And lastly, I like to drizzle all of the remaining vinaigrette from the bowl of peaches right on top of the salad as well.
The flavors and textures come together in such a lovely way…it is absolutely delicious.
PrintPeach & Tomato Salad with Rosemary Oil Vinaigrette
a seasonal peach & tomato salad with arugula, torn croutons, goat cheese, pickled fresno peppers, pistachios, dried currants, and a rosemary oil vinaigrette
servings: 4-6
Ingredients
Peach & Tomato Salad
- ¼ cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp minced chives
- kosher salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 lb ripe peaches, pitted + cut into ½” chunks
- 1 lb cherry tomatoes, halved (heirloom if you can find them)
- ¼ cup dried currants
- ¼ lb fresh country bread, torn into bite-size pieces
- 3 cups arugula
- 4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup pickled red fresno peppers (recipe below)
- ¼ cup roughly chopped roasted pistachios
Pickled Red Fresno Peppers
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ lb red fresno peppers, cored + thinly sliced
Instructions
Peach & Tomato Salad
- Heat a 10” skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the sprig of rosemary. Let fry for a minute or so until crisp. Transfer the rosemary to a paper towel to drain. Pour the oil into a stainless steel mixing bowl. Let cool slightly.
- Whisk in the red wine vinegar and chives. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the peaches, cherry tomatoes, and dried currants. Toss to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Taste and season again if needed.
- Meanwhile, heat the skillet again over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add the torn bread. Toast for 2-3 minutes until golden and crisp, stirring/flipping often. Turn off the heat and season with a good pinch of salt.
- Arrange the arugula on a large platter. Mound the peaches and tomatoes over top. Garnish with the croutons, goat cheese, pickled fresno peppers, and pistachios. Strip the rosemary leaves off of the stem and crumble onto the salad. Spoon the remaining vinaigrette over top.
Pickled Red Fresno Peppers
- In a saucepan, combine the red wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring the pickling liquid to a simmer over medium heat, stirring so the sugar dissolves.
- Place the sliced peppers in a large bowl. Pour the liquid over the peppers. Ensure the peppers are fully submerged. Let sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Retrieve the pickled peppers for the salad (draining off the liquid) and reserve the rest of them in the fridge for another use (in the liquid).
Such a great dish! Loved it!