Late August always brings this strange mix of abundance and urgency. The tomatoes we waited all summer for are suddenly ripening faster than we can eat them. Peaches are so juicy they need to be eaten over the sink, and I seem incapable of leaving the farmers’ market without far more corn than two people could reasonably need.
There’s a delicious panic to it all. Just when summer produce is at its best, the days are getting shorter and suddenly there doesn’t seem to be enough summer left. I find myself wanting to slow everything down—to eat all the tomatoes, buy another dozen ears of corn and not think about fall quite yet.
This Late Summer Harvest Salad with Pistachio Vinaigrette is my way of making the most of it. Green and yellow beans form the base, layered with ripe tomatoes, grilled corn and peaches, pickled red onions and basil. Pistachios are toasted in olive oil, then that nutty oil is whisked into a tangy sherry vinaigrette. The toasted pistachios go back on top for crunch.
This salad is really just a celebration of the best of late summer, while it’s all still here.
Keys to success when making Late Summer Harvest Salad
- Salt your tomatoes. Even perfectly ripe summer tomatoes benefit from salt. It draws out their juices and makes them taste even more tomato-y. Season them after arranging them on the platter so none of that delicious juice gets left behind on the cutting board.
- Yes, you really need all that salt for the beans. One cup of kosher salt sounds slightly unhinged, but trust me on this one. Cooking the green and yellow beans briefly in heavily salted water seasons them from the inside without making them taste salty. Most of that salt gets discarded with the cooking water.
- Keep the beans crisp. Two to three minutes is all they need. You want them tender enough to eat but still with a good snap—they provide an important bit of crunch against the juicy tomatoes and soft grilled peaches.
- Don’t skip the honey on the peaches. A light drizzle of honey before grilling helps the cut surface caramelize and gives the peaches an almost luscious texture. Grill them cut-side down and resist the urge to move them around—you want those beautiful grill marks.
- Toast the pistachios in the olive oil. This one little step does double duty. Toasting brings out the flavour of the pistachios while also infusing the olive oil with their nuttiness. Use that same oil to make the vinaigrette, then scatter the toasted pistachios over the salad for crunch.
- Use the best produce you can find. This isn’t the salad for hard peaches or disappointing tomatoes. There aren’t a lot of places for mediocre produce to hide here. Make it when tomatoes are properly ripe, peaches are fragrant and juicy, and corn is fresh and sweet.
Late Summer Harvest Salad with Pistachio Vinaigrette
A colourful late-summer salad loaded with green and yellow beans, ripe tomatoes, grilled corn and honey-kissed peaches, finished with pickled red onions, fresh basil and a tangy pistachio-sherry vinaigrette. A celebration of summer produce at its peak.
Ingredients
Pistachio Vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios, coarsely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, finely grated with microplaner, or crushed with garlic press
- 1/4 cup sherry or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pickled Red Onions
- 1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon Morton's kosher salt
Salad Ingredients
- 200 grams green beans, about 2 cups
- 200 grams yellow beans, about 2 cups
- 1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
- 2 ears fresh corn, shucked
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 3 medium peaches, halved and pitted
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 cup assorted small cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon Morton's kosher salt
Instructions
Pistachio Vinaigrette
- Add the olive oil and pistachios to a small skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pistachios are fragrant and the oil is gently sizzling.
- Strain the oil into a heatproof measuring cup or bowl. Set the pistachios aside for garnishing the salad.
- Add the garlic to the warm pistachio-infused oil and let sit for a few minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sherry vinegar, honey and Dijon mustard. Slowly drizzle in the pistachio oil while whisking continuously, until the vinaigrette is emulsified.
Prepare pickled red onions
- Combine the red wine vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Place the sliced onions in a 2-cup jar. Pour the hot brine over the onions and stir well. Let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until needed.
Cook beans
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Yes, one cup! The heavily salted cooking water seasons the beans from the inside without making them taste overly salty.
- Add the green and yellow beans and cook for 2–3 minutes, until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain thoroughly.
Grill corn and peaches
- Heat the grill over medium heat.
- Brush the corn and the cut sides of the peaches with the olive oil. Drizzle the honey lightly over the cut sides of the peaches.
- Place the peaches cut-side down on the grill. Add the corn.
- Grill the peaches until deeply marked and beginning to caramelize. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides.
- Transfer to a cutting board. Cut the kernels from the corn cobs. Cut the peach halves into wedges.
Assemble salad
- Toss the drained beans with 2 tablespoons of the pistachio vinaigrette. Arrange them loosely over a large platter.
- Layer the sliced and halved tomatoes over the beans. Season the tomatoes with the kosher salt.
- Nestle the grilled peach wedges among the tomatoes and beans.
- Scatter the grilled corn over the salad, followed by about 2 tablespoons of pickled red onions.
- Drizzle with an additional 2 tablespoons of pistachio vinaigrette.
- Finish with the toasted pistachios and fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Notes
- About all that salt: The 1 cup of kosher salt used to cook the beans is intentional. Briefly cooking the green and yellow beans in heavily salted water seasons them beautifully without making them taste salty. The cooking water—and nearly all that salt—is discarded when the beans are drained. Make-ahead: The recipe makes more vinaigrette, toasted pistachios and pickled onions than you will need for one salad. Refrigerate leftover vinaigrette and pickled onions in separate airtight containers. Store leftover toasted pistachios in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 326kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 6gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.003gSodium: 29508mgPotassium: 733mgFiber: 6gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 1375IUVitamin C: 40mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
There will be plenty of time for apples, squash and all things cozy. For now, I’m hanging onto tomatoes, peaches and corn for as long as I possibly can. Late summer is just too delicious to rush.