Summer is here! Temperatures are rising, the sun is shining, and I already have a few beach days and ocean swims under my belt. This will be my first summer in Paso Robles and I’m not going to lie…I’m a little nervous for summer in wine country. Temperatures in Paso over summer hit upwards of 100°F and I’m now living a 45 minute drive from the ocean. Rough life, I know ;), but when I lived in San Diego I was a 4 block walk to the beach and when I lived in Los Angeles I was within 2 miles of the ocean. So this is new, but a small price to pay for making moves towards my goals!
Anyways, summer always brings good times and also brings my favorite fruit season!! Watermelon, apricots, plums, strawberries, peaches, and nectarines are all on their way to my belly. While summer fruits are all delicious on their own, I love finding ways to work fruits into salads and different appetizers or soups, i.e. on crostini and in gazpacho.
Last summer, I was obsessed with making this simple nectarine salad and I’m so looking forward to snacking on this all summer long. This dish is so easy and the beauty is in the simplicity – something I learned while eating my way through Italy. Some of the best dishes are the simplest ones that allow the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine.
I love to use white nectarines for this dish. They have a bit more of an elegant, delicate flavor and tend to be a bit sweeter to me. Here’s how easy this is:
Ta-da! You’ll be so happy with how well these flavors work together. The sweetness of the nectarines with the sea salt, rich olive oil, and the aromatics of the basil is SO GOOD. This simple nectarine salad would also work really well over crostini spread with a tangy goat cheese. Pour yourself a glass of bubbles and kick back under the summer sun!
