5 Ingredients or Fewer

Peach Salad With Anchovy Vinaigrette

by:
August 10, 2020
4.7
10 Ratings
Peach Salad With Anchovy Vinaigrette
Photo by Julia Gartland. Food stylist: Anna Billingskog. Prop stylist: Amanda Widis.
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

A fruit salad, but not like that. While most fruit salads include an assortment of fruits—strawberry, kiwi, melon, banana, to name a few—and a sweet dressing, this Big Little Recipe takes a different approach.

You’ll pick just one fruit, so it gets the chance to really show off its ripe flavor. I call for peaches, but you could swap in nectarines, plums, apricots, whatever fruit is in season and delicious to you.

Anchovies are what transforms the peach salad from something that almost could be a dessert into a decidedly savory side. Just add a few tiny fillets for a boatload of briny, brawny umami, and serve next to whatever you’re having for lunch or dinner.

This recipe serves two, but doubles or triples (or more!) easily.

This is one of our Big Little Recipes, our weekly column all about dishes with big flavor and little ingredient lists. Do you know (and love) a recipe that’s low in ask, high in reward? Let us know in the comments. —Emma Laperruque

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 ripe peaches
  • 3 anchovy fillets, minced
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white wine (or rice) vinegar
  • Kosher or flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
  1. If you want to remove the peach skin, here’s how: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Set up an ice bath. Use a serrated knife to cut a shallow ‘X’ on the bottom of each peach. Lower as many as will fit into the boiling water and cook for about 1 minute, until the ‘X’ starts to fray. Transfer to the ice bath and peel—the skin should slip right off. Or, if you don’t mind the fuzz, skip the blanching and peeling and start at step 2.
  2. Combine the anchovies, olive oil, vinegar, and a pinch each of salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir with a fork, mashing in the anchovies, until a creamy dressing forms. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. It should be very bright and savory, to counter the sweet fruit.
  3. Thinly slice the peaches (I find the easiest way to do this is to cut out wedges with a paring knife while holding the fruit). Add the peach slices to the dressing and toss gently. Season again to taste, adding more oil or vinegar if needed to fully coat the fruit.
  4. Let sit for about 5 minutes, so the fruit can release some of its juices, then serve.
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  • Sheila
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Emma Laperruque
Emma was the food editor at Food52. She created the award-winning column, Big Little Recipes, and turned it into a cookbook in 2021. These days, she's a senior editor at Bon Appétit, leading digital cooking coverage. Say hello on Instagram at @emmalaperruque.

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10 Reviews

Kristine A.
Kristine A. August 2, 2022
This recipe is absolutely delicious and easy! I had local peaches which made the juices flow with sweet goodness!
 
adhale01
adhale01 July 4, 2022
Loved this recipe. We love anchovies but three seemed overpowering. I would suggest starting with just one or two.
 
Marieke
Marieke April 12, 2022
Absolutely delicious. The flavour combination is perfect. Made this just before peach season ended. Have been waiting for peaches to return for so long! Can't wait to make this again.
 
Chef K.
Chef K. September 15, 2020
What a great way to add a Umami touch to a fruit salad. I used watermelon but I'll try it with peaches next time. BTW the aversion to peach fuzz (and other "fuzzy" things ) is also known as "haptodysphoria."
 
Emma L.
Emma L. September 16, 2020
Mmmm, I have some chopped watermelon in the fridge right now—thanks for the idea!
 
jessica W.
jessica W. August 22, 2020
This was great. The perfect way to use up some very ripe peaches. I recommend sprinkling fresh ground pepper over the slices after you've mixed them with the dressing.
 
Kelly S.
Kelly S. August 21, 2020
Just love this! Easy and refreshing! I used straight from the farm with ripe white peaches. Made it taste decadent. Also, do let it sit a short bit as Emma recommends.
 
iambelle61
iambelle61 August 13, 2020
Used to think peach fuzz was my kriptonite, too, but anchovies are a bigger issue for certain. Fascinating contrast thought!
 
Sheila
Sheila August 13, 2020
A reminder that perfect summer produce doesn't need to be fancied up. Made this with beautiful ripe peaches and served over a baby kale/chard/spinach mix. I liked the slight bitterness the greens added.
 
AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames August 11, 2020
This looks great, but may I respectfully suggest this, for the anchovy-averse and everyone else - a brilliant big little recipe, if there ever was one: https://food52.com/recipes/13549-crook-s-corner-s-green-peach-salad I make this without adding the sugar, without drizzling on olive oil, and using fresh basil from my garden. Hard peaches (Ever had green papaya or green mango salad at a Thai, Cambodian, Laotian, etc. restaurant? Same idea here.), salt, herbs; key is to let it sit while you're preparing the rest of your supper. A "side in 5" or in this case, less - the best kind in the heat of the summer -- that's a real keeper.

This one gets bonus points for having been created in Chapel Hill, where my Tar Heel son (not born, but certainly bred) had the pleasure of getting to know the creative, down-to-earth, and ever so nice founder of Crook's Corner. ;o)