Grilled Nectarine Salad with Chilli & Croutons
Grilled nectarine salad with fresh chilli, garlic croutons and garden greens
This is a special salad recipe. This was the very first recipe I ever made for my cookbook Pinch Dash Glug: Summer/Autumn. I don’t think I knew exactly what kind of cookbook it was going to be, but I knew from the start I wanted it to be very fresh, with a focus on seasonal produce that could hold its own on a plate with minimal intervention.
Anyhoo that’s a fancy way of saying I grilled some nectarine for sweetness, added garlicky croutons for crunch, some avocado to make it rich and creamy and a salad dressing that makes the whole thing pop. You can absolutely just use the salad dressing in a regular garden salad recipe too (it also tastes amazing in a haloumi salad or drizzled onto a broccoli salad - the broccoli absorbs the dressing and is instantly full of flavour!).
My advice? Wait until locally grown nectarines start appearing at the farmers market or at a really good quality fresh food store. In my experience, there is nothing as sweet, flavourful or delicious as in-season nectarines (and peaches too, for that matter), so it is totally worth the wait to get your hands on them when they’re in their prime.
This salad would go beautifully alongside a plate of Corn Ribs with Grilled Haloumi or these creamy Fennel and Leek Pasties.
Grilled Nectarine Salad with Chilli & Croutons
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 slices of sourdough cut into cubes
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 nectarine
1 tsp butter*
1 cup mixed lettuce greens, roughly torn
1 avocado cut into quarters
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 Tbsp capers
2 Tbsp sharp Parmesan, grated*
For the dressing
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1⁄4 cup white vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely diced
Juice of 1 lemon
1⁄2 tsp mustard powder
1⁄2 tsp sugar
1⁄2 tsp salt
1⁄2 tsp pepper
Method
To make the croutons, toss the cubes of sourdough in the 2 Tbsp of olive oil, spread onto a baking tray and cook at 200 ̊C for about 5-10 minutes, until the bread has crisped and turned a deep caramel colour. Leave to cool.
Cut the nectarine into chunky wedges. Melt the butter on a grill pan. Add the nectarine wedges and cook on moderate heat until both cut sides have golden-brown grill lines on them. Remove from the heat.
To make the dressing, simply blend together all the ingredients for the dressing using a stick blender.
In a large salad bowl, place the mixed lettuce, avocado, nectarines, chilli, capers and dressing. Toss gently to combine. Just before serving, top the salad with the croutons and Parmesan cheese.
NOTE:
For a vegan option, use 1 tsp olive oil instead of the butter and add an extra tablespoon of capers instead of the Parmesan cheese (you could also use a dairy-free cheese if you like).
