Watermelon and Grilled Peach Salad
This Watermelon and Grilled Peach Salad is just perfect as a hot summer salad. The watermelon is juicy and firm with hints of honey and basil. The peaches give the salad a taste of savoriness and smoky char. The feta cheese adds some salty, briny, creaminess to the fresh and sweet. And the homemade honey balsamic glaze completes the salad with floral sweetness and a balanced, fruity tang.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 5 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon honey ((or to taste))
- 2½ pound watermelon ((about ⅓ of a 12 inch watermelon))
- 4 Tablespoon honey
- 9 leaves basil ((optional: more for garnish))
- 3 white peach ((ripe but firm))
- ½ cup feta cheese ((crumbled))
- oil ((for grilling))
Instructions
- 1
For the honey balsamic glaze:
- 2
In a medium saucepan, combine balsamic vinegar and honey. Stir the mixture and bring it to a simmer. Let the glaze simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes or until the glaze thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.Transfer the honey balsamic glaze to a clean bowl and let it cool to room temperature.*Make sure to not over reduce the balsamic glaze or it will become bitter. If you only slightly over reduce the glaze, and it's not bitter, you can thin it out by adding a small amount of water.*
- 3
For the compressed watermelon:
- 4
*This step is added to infuse extra sweetness and basil flavor to the watermelon. So feel free to skip if you prefer.*Slice the watermelon into 1 inch thick slices. Rub both sides of each watermelon with honey and arrange them into FoodSaver bags. On each slice of watermelon, place a leaf of basil on each side. Vacuum and seal the FoodSaver bag. Chill in the fridge until needed.
- 5
For the rest of the Watermelon and Grilled Peach Salad:
- 6
Wash and cut each peach into 6 even wedges. In a cast iron griddle pan over medium high heat, brush with some vegetable oil. When the pan is hot, place the peach wedges onto the griddle pan. The pan should make out loud sizzle sounds. Grill each wedge of peach until dark grill marks appear, about 30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. Remove from heat.*DO NOT overcook the peaches or they will become mushy. We are only looking for grill marks and an added touch of smokiness.*
- 7
Remove the watermelon from the FoodSaver bag and dice them into 1 inch cubes. Stack the basil leaves and thinly slice them.
- 8
Arrange the cubed watermelon and grilled peaches onto plates or platters. Sprinkle the thinly sliced basils and crumbled feta on the salad. Drizzle the salad with the honey balsamic glaze and top with some fresh leaves of basils.Enjoy!