Packed with fresh fruits, cooling cucumber, and juicy tomatoes, this vibrant summer salad works as a colorful centerpiece to lunch or dinner, or as an accompaniment to fish or grilled meat. The combination of juicy peaches, tart blackberries, fresh herbs, and toasted walnuts piled over zesty honeyed ricotta packs an incredible punch. Read on for our best tips on how to make this salad.

Sweet & savory:
With the summertime sweetness of the fruit, savory notes are needed in this salad. Enter: juicy Castelvetrano olives, which lend a mild brininess, as well as the shavings of blue Stilton that are scattered on top of the salad before serving.

The dressing:
We love this salad on its own so much that there’s no real need for a fussy dressing. A generous drizzle of peppery olive oil and a big squeeze of lemon juice with some flaky salt is all that’s needed, but if desired, the addition of white balsamic vinegar would be lovely.

Substitutions:
The beauty of this salad lies in its versatility; you can change up many of the components with anything you love or want to use up. If you’re unable to get hold of fresh peaches, yellow mangos or nectarines work just as well. The Stilton can also be swapped for another blue cheese, feta, goat’s cheese, or cotija.

Serving:
The salad is best served fresh and at room temperature. Serve as is, or with some crusty bread to mop up any delicious leftover fruit juice and ricotta. It can also be piled up next to grilled chicken or lamb at a BBQ. Take out the cheese, and you have the perfect side to a beautiful piece of salmon or a seared tuna steak.

delish!

Find more recipes like this on my companion blog, “Good Food, Good Meat, Good God, Let’s Eat!”