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
Step 1 –Grate the zest of 1 large lime finely.
Step 2 –In a small bowl, add 1 teaspoon of the zest, reserving the rest of the zest for the salad topping.
Step 3 –Juice the zested lime and add 1 tablespoon of the juice to the bowl.
Step 4 –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.
Step 5 –Set aside for at least 15 minutes.
Step 6 –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.
Step 7 –In a large salad bowl, add the lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, peaches, and feta cheese.
Step 8 –Garnish the salad with the pumpkin seeds, remaining onion (discard the remaining liquid), remaining lime zest, and additional cilantro.
Step 9 –Drizzle the dressing over the salad and add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 10 –Serve.