Peach Tomato Caprese
Ripe peaches, heirloom tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil tossed with a bright lemon vinaigrette for an easy summer twist on classic Caprese.
Servings: 6 people
Ingredients
- ¼ cup red onion sliced
- 4 ripe peaches or nectarines pitted and sliced
- 3 cups heirloom cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup baby mozzarella balls halved
- baby basil leaves
- flake salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for the salad on a large serving platter.
- Whisk the ingredients for the vinaigrette together. Drizzle over the top and serve.
Notes
- Buy your peaches a few days before you need them. Peaches continue to ripen off the tree at room temperature. Buying them firm protects them from being bruised and overhandled at the market, and you control the ripening timeline on your own counter.
- Ripen peaches stem-side down on the counter, never in the fridge. Cold temperatures halt the ripening process and turn the flesh mealy and dry. Room temperature allows the natural ethylene gas the fruit produces to do its job properly.
- Check your peaches daily once they start to soften. The window between perfectly ripe and overripe is short, sometimes just 24 hours. You want a slight give when you press near the stem, not a mushy collapse.
- Use heirloom cherry tomatoes in a mix of colors. Different colored heirloom cherry tomatoes have slightly different sugar and acid levels, which adds complexity to every bite and makes the platter look stunning.
- Halve the mozzarella balls rather than leaving them whole. Cutting the mozzarella exposes the soft interior so the vinaigrette can actually soak in and flavor the cheese, rather than sliding off the outer surface.
- Whisk the vinaigrette until it is fully emulsified before dressing the salad. Olive oil and acidic liquids naturally separate, so whisking hard creates a temporary emulsion that coats every ingredient evenly rather than pooling at the bottom of the platter.
- Add the red onion to the vinaigrette for five minutes before assembling. Macerating the onion slices briefly in the red wine vinegar softens their sharp bite without losing the crunch, so they complement rather than overpower the fruit and cheese.
- Finish with flake salt right before serving, not before. Flaky salt draws moisture out of the tomatoes and peaches quickly. Adding it too early creates a watery pool at the bottom of the platter and dilutes the vinaigrette.
- Dress the salad lightly and let guests add more at the table. Ripe summer produce is naturally juicy and releases liquid once cut. Over-dressing pushes the platter into a soupy mess fast, so a light hand the first time is always the right call.
- Serve this salad no more than 30 minutes before serving. The salt and acid begin breaking down the peaches and tomatoes quickly, and the mozzarella starts to take on too much moisture. This is a last-minute assembly dish, not a make-ahead one.
- Swap in nectarines or any ripe stone fruit if peaches are not available. Nectarines, plums, and apricots all have the same sweet-tart balance that works against the acidity of tomatoes and vinaigrette. Just make sure whatever you use is fully ripe.
Nutrition (estimated)
Calories: 200kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 139mg | Potassium: 335mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 821IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 1mg