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Prep time
10 minutes
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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
Ingredients
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2
ripe peaches
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3
anchovy fillets, minced
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1 tablespoon
extra-virgin olive oil
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1 tablespoon
white wine (or rice) vinegar
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Kosher or flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Let sit for about 5 minutes, so the fruit can release some of its juices, then serve.
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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