Peach and Tomato Caprese Salad is a Stone Fruit Lovers Dream Come True.
No summer salad is as craveable as this peach and tomato salad made with juicy, ripe tomatoes, creamy fresh mozzarella, basil, and an addictive white balsamic vinaigrette. It’s basically all of the best flavors of summer, layered on a platter, studded with fresh, milky cheese! If you’re a fan of traditional Caprese Salad, then you'll want to add this slightly sweeter, peachy version to your summer recipes list asap! Peach season won’t last forever and we’d really hate for you to miss out on the best caprese salad recipe ever!
Why is it Called a Caprese Salad?
This absolutely perfect-in-the-summer salad gets its name from its birth place, the beautiful Isle of Capri. Capri is located in the Tyrrhenian Sea to the south of the Gulf of Naples in Italy. If you're lucky enough to be from there or have traveled there, you know that it is a stunning place. It's no surprise that such a beautiful, fresh salad was born on those sparkling shores.
How Do You Pronounce Caprese?
Say it with me: "kuh-prey-sey". If you still need some help, check out this fun YouTube caprese pronunciation video! If all else fails and you can’t remember how it is pronounced, just call it a peach and tomato salad with mozzarella, because that's basically what it is!
What’s In This Peach and Tomato Salad?
Creamy mozzarella, juicy, sweet peaches and ripe tomatoes. This salad is all about simple ingredients, enjoyed at their very peak. Authentic caprese salad recipe ingredients include:
- Fresh cow’s milk mozzarella cheese.
- Fresh tomatoes.
- Fresh basil leaves.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Salt.
- Balsamic vinegar.
In true Modern Proper form, we took some liberties and added a few extra ingredients to create what we truly believe to be the best caprese salad with peaches and tomatoes to ever exist!
The Modern Proper’s Take on Caprese Includes:
- Super-ripe heirloom tomatoes.
- White balsamic vinegar forms the base of an addictive vinaigrette.
- Yellow or white peaches (you’re gonna love it!).
What is the Difference Between Balsamic Vinegar and White Balsamic Vinegar?
One of the main changes we made to this Peach Caprese Salad is to sub the balsamic vinegar for its lighter in color, milder and slightly less-sweet counterpart, white balsamic vinegar. White balsamic vinegar which is aged for far less time than balsamic vinegar, pairs perfectly with the honeyed sweetness of ripe peaches. Whisked into a good-quality extra virgin olive oil, white balsamic vinegar makes a light, mildly tangy dressing that is perfect for just about any easy summer salad you may whip up.
What is the Difference Between Mozzarella and Fresh Mozzarella?
Moisture content is the major significant difference between “regular mozzarella” and fresh mozzarella. The kind you find most often in a rectangular brick, or sometimes pre-shredded, has a very low moisture content. It lasts longer than fresh mozzarella and has a much better stringy cheese pull when melted. It’s what is used most typically here in the U.S. on pizzas, and it’s what most string cheese is made out of.
Fresh mozzarella is the traditional Italian choice of cheese for this caprese, and so it’s what we’re using in our peach and tomato salad. It usually comes in a ball, and whether small (ciliegine) or large (bocconcini), should always be packed in water. Pillowy, bright white and creamy, it has a much higher moisture content because it is a very young, fresh cheese. With a clean, delicate milky flavor, fresh mozzarella tastes delicious on its own, sprinkled with a little sea salt, or in light salads like this peach caprese salad.
This Peach and Tomato Salad Will Never Get Old.
But it never hurts to mix it up a little:
- Caprese salad with lettuce - maybe a nice peppery arugula.
- Throw the peaches on the grill and make Grilled Caprese Salad Skewers!
- Stack them up to make one bite peach appetizers!
What Do You Serve a Caprese Salad With?
Peach season means warm evenings, and warm evenings mean that most dinners are grilled dinners. This peach and tomato salad recipe is the perfect thing to eat with anything grilled—maybe a basic grilled steak or grilled spatchcocked chicken. On really hot days, we enjoy this salad on its own as a refreshing lunch or light dinner.
However You Serve it, We Want to Hear About it!
The next time you make this peach and tomato salad, snap a pic and post it to Instagram tagging @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can admire your handiwork. Happy eating!
