Peach Caprese Salad, Two Ways: with Grilled Shrimp or Just Summer Simplicity

Yesterday, I shared the Peach and Pecan Coffee Cake I made with those gorgeous Georgia peaches from the Hancock County Farmers Market, and today I’m back with the savory side of the peach story.

Because when peaches are this good — ripe, juicy, fragrant, sweet but not too sweet — they don’t need much help.

I’m living solo this week at Gumbo Cove and creating meals for one. I wanted to use the leftover shrimp that The Grill-Meister grilled for our July 4 meal before he had to go back to Houston (and work).

I realized that I had all the makings of a lovely salad and set about preparing it. My peach caprese salad concoction came together in minutes and tasted like summer on a plate: one large peach, one large heirloom tomato, fresh mozzarella, basil, peach white balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, with leftover grilled shrimp added. That’s it. No cooking, no fuss, no measuring.

I sliced the peach and tomato, tucked in about 2 ounces of fresh mozzarella and added a generous handful of basil leaves. A drizzle of peach white balsamic gave it a bright, fruity tang, and the olive oil rounded everything out.

Then I turned it from a side dish into supper by piling five of the leftover grilled shrimp in the middle, along with a few grilled red peppers that had accompanied them the night before. I had Zippy Sicilian toast on the side, a glass of wine, and when I was taking the pre-meal photos, one of those Gumbo Cove sunsets that makes you stop, breathe deeply, and appreciate life magically appeared. Bingo, let’s do an outside photo shoot for this solo dinner!

“Recipe”: Peach Caprese Salad with Grilled Shrimp

This isn’t so much a recipe as a simple assembly job with guidelines. For one generous serving, slice one large ripe peach, one large heirloom tomato and about 2 ounces of fresh mozzarella (two bocconcini). Arrange them in a circle on a plate with a handful of fresh basil leaves. Drizzle with peach white balsamic vinegar or another light, fruity vinegar of your choice, and extra-virgin olive oil. Add a few grilled shrimp in the center, if you want to make it a meal.

That’s all there is to it. Farmers market peaches, summer tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, shrimp from the night before and a little kitchen improvisation. Sometimes the easiest things are the ones we remember.

Notes

• This Peach Caprese Salad with Grilled Shrimp was a meal for one (with leftovers) but would make a great appetizer for two or four.
• If you don’t have leftover shrimp but want to make this dish, click here: A Super-Easy Way to Cook Shrimp for Use in Recipes.
• Lots of other proteins would work: think chicken, tofu, leftover steak… or just grilled vegetables.
• The salad is great without a protein — I made it for lunch today! I added greens for more texture, both visually and flavor-wise.
• Either version can be a plated first course or brunch dish, if you use appropriately-sized plates and change the amounts according to your number of diners.

Peach Caprese Salad for Lunch: Join Me in the Kitchen

This salad is really just about slicing and assembly; for lunch, I used a small peach, small heirloom tomato, one bocconcini of fresh mozzarella and a handful of basil leaves, plus oil, vinegar and pepper.

Look at that gorgeous plate! Honestly, this salad is so bright and artsy that it was hard to dig into it, but once I did — it vanished!!

Summer Peaches Rock

I only have one small peach left from this batch but it’s early days in the peach season, so there are more peachy delights in my future. How are you serving your golden, glorious peaches this summer?

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