The Ultimate Summer Salad

Time :30

Yield :4 servings

Recipe Background

It doesn’t get fresher than this Ultimate Summer Salad, which makes use of some of the season’s finest produce. With unexpected ingredients like feta cheese and peaches, each forkful is a surprising delight. The Ultimate Summer Salad is sweet, salty, herbaceous, and crunchy all at the same time. Feel free to top with a protein of your choice to make it extra filling.

Ingredients

2 large limes divided
1 1/4 teaspoons granulated sugar divided
1/2 small red onion thinly sliced, divided
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt divided, plus more to taste
1 clove garlic finely chopped
1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves finely chopped, plus whole leaves and tender stems, for serving
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 medium head butter lettuce chopped
2 Persian cucumbers or 1 medium English cucumber, thinly sliced
6 ounces multi-colored cherry tomatoes halved
2 large ripe peaches pitted and sliced
4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
1/4 cup roasted salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Grate the zest of 1 large lime finely.
In a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the zest, reserving the rest of the zest for the salad topping.
Juice the zested lime and add 1 tablespoon of the juice to the bowl.
Add 1/4 teaspoon of the sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Add 1/2 of the red onion slices and toss to coat.
Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
To another small bowl, add the juice from the remaining 1 1/2 limes, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of the sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt. Whisk to combine.
In a large salad bowl, add the lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peaches, and feta cheese.
Garnish the salad with the pumpkin seeds, remaining onion (discard the remaining liquid), remaining lime zest, and additional cilantro.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad and add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve.