Well, it’s peach season here in Michigan so why not make a salad fit for our summer weather. You get the sweetness of the peaches (can use any stone fruit), crunch of the cucumbers, I added baby spinach leaves as a base, salty mozarella, fresh basil and dressing it with a gochujang vinaigrette (a basil sauce would be delicious too). As the forward to the recipe said “the theory that opposites attract is confirmed in this unlikely pairing of peach and gochujang.” I have to agree…
Hetty Lui McKinnon’s recipe received 5 stars (always a plus for me) on the New York Times Cooking site. I always appreciate reading the comments from others who have made this recipe – gives new ideas, suggestions and comments, good or bad. I have added my own two cents!
Peach, Cucumber and Mozzarella Salad with Gochujang Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp. gochujang (start with less and add to taste as it is spicy)
- 2 tbsp. unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup EVOO plus more for drizzling
- 2 tsp. maple syrup
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- salt and pepper (easy on the pepper) to taste
- ripe peaches, halved, pitted and sliced (these would be wonderful grilled) or a stone fruit of your choice
- spinach or arugula for the base
- Persian cucumbers, sliced in rounds
- 8 oz. fresh mozarella (I used mozzarella di bufala – cherry size) burrata would be a good choice too
- cherry tomatoes, cut in half (optional)
- a handful of roasted nuts might be nice
- fresh small basil leaves to garnish, any other herbs are optional
To make the vinaigrette add the gochujang, rice vinegar, olive oil, maple syrup and garlic in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the spinach or arugula on the platter first, followed by the sliced peaches and cucumbers. Place the balls of mozzarella on top and drizzle the whole salad with the vinaigrette. Drizzle lightly with EVOO and scatter small basil leaves on top and serve with a few nuts if desired.
Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com
Judi……this plethora of flavors captivates my taste buds. 🍑🥒🧀
It hit all the right flavors for me too. I love fresh, juicy peaches and those little mozzarella balls are addicting 🙂
I love adding fruit to savory salads, so I’m sure I’d enjoy this colorful salad. I can see the gochujang vinaigrette added to many other salads. Great find! 🙂
Thanks Ronit! I wasn’t sure about the gochujang vinaigrette but it got 5 stars and lots of good comments. Ingredients can be changed and/or added and the vinaigrette really added a nice contrast 🙂
This is amazing! And peaches and Gochujang go so well together!
Thanks! It’s a great late summer salad and the gochujang kicked it up a notch 🙂
Interesting combination of flavors, but it looks absolutely delicious! Wonderful dish for these hot summer days
Thanks Terri – I love this salad and I think you would too! You can play with the ingredients – like arugula for the spinach – a different stone fruit. Use good mozzarella
You kind of had me at peaches and cucumbers, but when you mentioned gochujang, now I’m all over this salad! How interesting!
Thanks Jeff – this combination worked really well. The comments on this post won me over and since I love gochujang it was a win for me 🙂