Summer Fruit Salad Recipe
fresh summer fruits, tomato, endive, white wine nuoc cham, chiles
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Ingredients
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Fruit & Vegetables
White Wine Nuoc Cham (Dressing)
Garnish & Finish
Method
Fruit & Vegetables
- 1
Prepare stone fruit
Wash the peaches or nectarines. Halve, pit and slice each fruit into 8–10 wedges (about 1/2-inch thick). If fruit is very ripe, handle gently to keep slices intact.
- 2
Prepare strawberries
Hull and quarter the strawberries so pieces are roughly the same size as the peach slices (about 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch).
- 3
Prepare watermelon
Remove rind and cut watermelon into 3/4-inch cubes. Drain briefly in a colander if very juicy to avoid diluting the dressing.
- 4
Prepare tomatoes
Halve cherry or grape tomatoes. If using larger tomatoes, cut into 1-inch wedges and remove excess seeds if very watery.
- 5
Prepare endive & herbs
Trim root ends from Belgian endive and separate leaves. Keep larger leaves whole or halved, smaller leaves whole. Roughly chop mint leaves and cilantro if using; reserve some whole mint leaves for garnish.
White Wine Nuoc Cham (Dressing)
- 6
Dissolve sugar & combine liquids
In a small bowl, combine the warm water and granulated sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves. Add white wine vinegar, light fish sauce and fresh lime juice and whisk to combine.
- 7
Add aromatics
Stir in the grated ginger, grated garlic, thinly sliced Thai chile (adjust quantity to taste), and neutral oil. Whisk until emulsified. Taste and, if desired, add the optional toasted sesame oil for a nutty note.
- 8
Adjust seasoning
Taste the dressing: it should be balanced—bright and salty with a touch of sweet. Adjust by adding up to 1 tsp more sugar for sweetness, more fish sauce for saltiness, or an extra 1 tsp white wine vinegar for acidity.
Assemble & Finish
- 9
Combine fruit and herbs
In a large mixing bowl, gently combine the peach slices, strawberries, watermelon cubes, halved cherry tomatoes, chopped mint and cilantro. Add separated endive leaves and gently fold to distribute evenly without crushing the fruit.
- 10
Dress the salad
Pour about two-thirds of the white wine nuoc cham over the salad and gently toss once or twice to coat. Let sit 2–3 minutes to allow flavors to marry. Taste and add more dressing if needed (reserve remaining dressing for serving).
- 11
Plate and garnish
Arrange salad on a shallow serving platter or individual plates, tucking some whole endive leaves around the edges. Scatter remaining whole mint leaves on top. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, a light dusting of flaky sea salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Drizzle a teaspoon of any reserved dressing over the plated salad if desired.
- 12
Serve
Serve immediately at room temperature or slightly chilled. Leftover dressing will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days; toss salad just before serving to avoid sogginess.