Nectarine Salad With Mozzarella And Tomatoes

Nectarine salad is a colourful, delicious and surprisingly nutritious light summer recipe. It’s also simple and quick-to-make. Sweet nectarines hot off the griddle, juicy tomatoes and creamy mozzarella come together to create a delightful combination of flavours, textures and colours.

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Dive Right In

• Are Nectarines Different To Peaches?
• Why Make Nectarine Salad?
• Nectarine Salad
• Ingredients
• How to Make Griddled Nectarine Salad
• Vegan Nectarine Salad
• Other Stone Fruit Recipes You Might Like
• Make It Your Own
• FAQs
• Keep In Touch
• The Recipe

Are Nectarines Different To Peaches?

Nectarines are a type of stone fruit. That is to say fruit that contain a stone (also called pit) in their centre. The stone is often confused with the seed, but the stone contains and protects the seed. Plums, apricots and cherries are other common types of stone fruit.

I always thought nectarines were a cross between a peach and a plum, but this is not actually the case. They are in fact the same species as peaches, Prunis persica. In essence a nectarine is a firmer variety of peach, without the fuzzy skin. It’s particularly sweet and juicy, indeed the name means “sweet as nectar”.

For something so sweet, nectarines are surprisingly nutritious. In fact, slightly more so than peaches. They contain several vitamins and minerals as well as antioxidants. They’re particularly high in beta-carotene, which given their bright yellow-red colour is no surprise. The body needs this so it can transform it into vitamin A, which is needed for a functioning immune system as well as eye health (ref: BBC).

Nectarines and peaches are almost interchangeable in recipes. It mostly depends on preference and what you can get hold of. I prefer the smoother skin of a nectarine and I find them less likely to turn fluffy.

Why Make Nectarine Salad?

Ultimately, the combination of sweet nectarines, creamy mozzarella and juicy tomatoes is one of summer’s must make salads. If you need more concrete reasons to make this nectarine salad, here are a few:

• Colourful – The vibrant colours of the nectarines and tomatoes combine with the vivid green of lettuce leaves to make this salad particularly pleasing to the eye.
• Full of Flavour – The combination of sweet nectarines, creamy mozzarella, juicy tomatoes and peppery basil creates an appetising blend of flavours. You get sweetness from the nectarines which balances out the acidity of the tomatoes, while the mild and slightly salty mozzarella adds a rich and creamy element. Basil is a classic flavour pairing for tomatoes and it works really well with nectarines in much the same way.
• Interesting Textures – A well-composed salad includes a mix of textures to make each bite interesting. In this case, you have the yielding flesh of nectarines with juicy tomatoes which contrast nicely with the softness of mozzarella and the crunchiness of lettuce leaves and pine nuts.
• Light and Refreshing – When it’s hot and you don’t feel like eating too much, this nectarine salad is a light and refreshing option. What’s more, the inherent juiciness of the nectarines and tomatoes help to keep us hydrated.
• Nutritious – Nectarines, mozzarella and tomatoes each bring their own set of nutrients to the table. Nectarines provide vitamins A and C, dietary fibre and antioxidants. Tomatoes are a good source of vitamins C and K, as well as lycopene. Mozzarella contributes protein and calcium. The rest of the salad ingredients add even more beneficial compounds.
• Quick and Easy – You can assemble this salad in a matter of minutes, which makes it a convenient option for a quick lunch or a side dish for dinner.
• Simple Recipe – There are no difficult-to-find ingredients in this salad. If you use fresh, in-season nectarines and tomatoes, the salad will capture the flavours of summer most beautifully.

Nectarine Salad

We haven’t had many really hot days this summer, but when we do get them a light and refreshing salad is what I want to eat. This nectarine salad fits the bill very nicely. It’s well balanced and appeals to both the palate and the senses.

I like to griddle my nectarines for this salad. The char marks look good and as the heat permeates the fruit and caramelises parts of it, it makes them even sweeter. I use a griddle pan*, but you can use a grill if you don’t have one.

Ingredients

You only need a few simple ingredients to make this griddled nectarine salad. The main requirement is for ripe and flavoursome in-season nectarines. Make sure they are firm ones though. Here are the other main ingredients needed.

Mozzarella

Mozzarella provides a creamy and slightly salty contrast to the sweet nectarines. You’re after fresh cheese here, not the kind you use for pizza. It’s usually stored in packs of water.

Buffalo mozzarella is generally considered the best, but it’s more expensive than the cheese made with cow’s milk. If you want to go upmarket, use burrata instead.

Tomatoes

Just like nectarines, you want delicious, ripe and juicy tomatoes for this salad. It doesn’t really matter what type they are as long as they taste good. I’ve gone for homegrown cherry tomatoes in the recipe card, but if you have larger ones, just chop them to size.

Basil

Basil is a well known partner to tomatoes. But in much the same way it works well with nectarines too. You can use as much basil as you feel comfortable with. I went with a handful of homegrown basil which tends to be more pungent than supermarket herbs.

If you prefer the idea of mint, use that instead. It adds a lovely freshness to the salad, which is also appealing.

Pine Nuts

I’ve chosen pine nuts for this salad. I’ve only used a few as they’re incredibly expensive, but they add a delicious flavour with their delicate sweet, creamy nuttiness. And as pesto lovers know, pine nuts pair well with basil and cheese.

Honey

Honey and nectarines are another of those classic pairings that encapsulate the taste of summer. I’ve used a little honey in the dressing to bring out the sweet notes. Runny honey is the easiest to use, but look for one with light floral tones, such as acacia, if you can.

How To Make Griddled Nectarine Salad

Although it looks as though there are quite a few steps, this nectarine salad is actually quite quick and easy to make. In fact the whole thing comes together in just fifteen minutes or less.

Step 1. Pickle Onions

Before you do anything else, slice the spring onion (scallion) into thin (ish) rounds and place in a small bowl.

Squeeze in the lemon juice and give a good stir. I actually used calamansi juice instead this time. Leave to pickle whilst you get on with the main event.

Top Tip

If anyone is sensitive to raw onions, it’s a good idea to soak them in vinegar or citrus juice for at least ten minutes. This pickles them and makes them easier to digest. It works for CT anyway who can’t normally eat raw onions.

Step 2. Prepare Salad Leaves

Wash the salad leaves in clean water then shake dry. A salad spinner* makes this job a whole lot easier.

You can either roughly chop or tear the leaves or keep them whole. Either way spread the leaves out in a salad bowl.

Step 3. Add Tomatoes, Mozzarella and Basil

Wash the tomatoes and basil then pat and shake dry respectively. Drain the mozzarella ball.

If using cherry tomatoes, cut them in half. Otherwise cut to about the size of half a cherry tomato. Sprinkle these over the salad leaves.

Tear the mozzarella into small pieces and scatter these over the leaves too.

Finally, roughly chop or tear the basil leaves and scatter these over the mozzarella and tomatoes.

Step 4. Griddle Nectarines

Heat your griddle pan or grill so that it’s piping hot.

Meanwhile wash and dry the nectarines. Cut them into halves, then quarters. Remove the stone. Cut each quarter into two so that you end up with eight slices for each nectarine.

Place them in a bowl and drizzle over the olive oil. Give a gentle stir to ensure each slice is covered, then lift them onto the griddle pan or grill. Kitchen tongs* are a great tool for this.

Let them cook for two minutes or until they develop distinct char marks, then turn them over and griddle or grill for a further two minutes.

Transfer the hot slices to the salad bowl.

Step 5. Toast Pine Nuts

Whilst the nectarines are cooking, toast the pine nuts in a medium hot pan. Give them a shake from time to time and be careful not to burn them.

Step 6. Make Dressing

Add the remaining dressing ingredients to the onion bowl and give it a really good stir.

Drizzle the dressing over the warm nectarines, then scatter the pine nuts over the top.

Serve with crusty bread, if liked, and enjoy.

Make It Your Own

Although this nectarine salad is pretty much perfect just as it is, sometimes you need or want something a bit different. I rarely follow recipes exactly as I like to use ingredients I already have in the kitchen. Luckily, it’s easy to adapt this salad in various ways to suit your own preferences or ingredients.

Here are a few suggestions:

Swap the nectarines for peaches and the mozzarella for burrata. In fact nectarines pair well with just about any cheese, so take your pick. Soft goat’s cheese and mild blue cheeses are firm favourites with me.

Or ramp up the flavours and use my recipe for marinated mozzarella balls instead of plain mozzarella.

Mint gives a lovely freshness to the salad, so try using that instead of basil. Swap the spring onion (scallion) for snipped chives. And how about adding cucumber for additional flavour and crunch?

I like pine nuts in this salad as their delicate taste comes through, yet they don’t take over the flavour profile of the salad. However, you can swap them for any number of nuts and seeds and add more of them too if you like a lot of crunch. Almonds, hazelnuts pecans and pistachios all work.

When it comes to dressings, the world’s your oyster. A very simple vinaigrette works well as there is so much flavour from the nectarines, but try your favourite and see how it works.

Vegan Nectarine Salad

It’s a lot easier to find decent vegan substitutes for cheese these days. You can buy vegan mozzarella or why not try making your own?

The only other ingredient you need to worry about is honey. Just swap it for maple syrup. Otherwise follow the recipe as is.

FAQs

I’ve tried to answer most questions about this nectarine salad as I’ve gone through the post. However, there are a few commonly asked questions I thought worth mentioning here.

Other Stone Fruit Recipes You Might Like

• Apricot frangipane tart
• Nectarine pecan slice
• Peach & white chocolate cake
• Pickled cherries
• Plum upside-down cake
• Poached peaches & apricots

Keep in Touch

Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this nectarine salad, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for griddling or grilling stone fruit?

Please rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like more salad recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

Griddled Nectarine Salad. PIN IT.

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5 from 4 votes

Nectarine Salad With Mozzarella And Tomatoes

Nectarine salad is a colourful, delicious and surprisingly nutritious light summer recipe. It's also simple and quick-to-make. Sweet nectarines hot off the griddle, juicy tomatoes and creamy mozzarella come together to create a delightful combination of flavours, textures and colours.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time5 minutes mins

Total Time15 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: basil, mozzarella, nectarines, pine nuts, salad, summer

Servings: 2 people

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Equipment

• griddle pan (affiliate link) optional
• salad spinner (affiliate link) optional
• kitchen tongs (affiliate link) optional

Ingredients

Dressing

• 1 spring onion (scallion)
• ½ lemon
• 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
• 1 pinch chilli flakes mild or hot, depending on preference
• 1 pinch sea or rock salt
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salad

• 8 lettuce leaves
• 6 cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 mozzarella ball
• 1 handful basil or mint
• 2 nectarines just ripe, but still firm are best
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 pinch sea or rock salt
• 2 tsp pine nuts (10g)

Instructions

Dressing

• Finely slice the spring onion and place in a small bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice over the top and leave it to pickle whilst you get on with the salad.
  1 spring onion (scallion), ½ lemon
• Just before serving add the salt, honey, and chilli flakes to the onions and give a good stir.
  1 tsp honey, 1 pinch chilli flakes, 1 pinch sea or rock salt
• Finally stir in the olive oil.
  2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salad

• Wash the salad leaves and shake dry or use a salad spinner.
  8 lettuce leaves
• Lay the leaves over the bottom of a shallow salad bowl.
• Halve the tomatoes and scatter over the salad leaves.
  6 cherry tomatoes
• Tear the mozzarella into smallish pieces with your hands and scatter over the tomatoes.
  1 mozzarella ball
• Roughly chop or tear the basil leaves and scatter over the mozzarella.
  1 handful basil
• Quarter the nectarines and remove the stones. Then slice each quarter into halves.
  2 nectarines
• Place the slices in a bowl, pour in the olive oil and season with salt. Give them a good stir.
  1 tsp olive oil, 1 pinch sea or rock salt
• Heat a griddle so that it’s smoking hot. You can use a hot grill instead. Griddle or grill the nectarine slices for 2 minutes each side or until you get char marks.
• Lay the slices over the salad.
• Whilst the nectarines are grilling, briefly toast the pine nuts in a hot pan. Be careful not to burn them.
  2 tsp pine nuts
• Drizzle the dressing over the salad, then scatter the pine nuts over the top.

Notes

If you want to play around with the recipe, try swapping the nectarines for peaches, the mozzarella for burrata and the basil for mint.

Serve with some crusty bread, if liked.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 256kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 0.4mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 7966IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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