Tomato Cucumber and Peach Panzanella Salad

Sweet, Tangy Twist on a Classic

This tomato, cucumber, peach panzanella salad is a fresh, tangy, herby salad with pickled shallots, pan-fried bread, and loads of fresh Summer produce. It’s the perfect dish to make on a warm day. It’s great on its own, but is also amazing on the side of a grilled chicken dinner. 

If you’ve not had panzanella before, it’s an Italian-style salad made with day old bread, tomatoes, and a simple dressing. In this version of the recipe, I’ve added sweet Summer peaches, some tangy pickled shallots, and a dressing with a bit of mustard for a zesty dressing. I’ve also skipped the step of drying out the bread and opted for frying it in the pan, for a bit of extra toasty flavor. This is a fun take on a classic that’s great to add to your Summer rotation!

The Supplies

Ingredients

To make this tomato, cucumber, and peach panzanella salad with pickled shallots and fried bread, you’ll need the following ingredients:

• Shallot
• Apple cider vinegar
• Salt and pepper
• Sugar
• Fresh yellow peaches
• Cherry or campari tomato
• Hot house cucumber
• Olive oil
• Crusty bread
• Fresh Basil
• Grated parmesan for serving
• Lemon juice
• Garlic
• Grainy dijon mustard

For the exact ingredient amounts, check out the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Equipment

In order to make this panzanella salad recipe, you’ll need the following pieces of equipment:

• Small and large mixing bowls
• Colander
• Large heavy bottomed frying pan
• Cutting board and knife
• Whisk
• Wooden spatula or spoon
• Mixing spoon

Frequent Questions

Can I prepare this recipe ahead of time?

• A: This recipe is best enjoyed right after preparing. This way, the fried bread stays crisp and the chopped produce will still taste fresh.

Could I substitute for frozen peaches instead of fresh ?

• A: I would not. The texture of frozen peaches will be mushier once they thaw and not stand up to the rest of the salad.

Is stale bread suitable for this panzanella salad?

• Panzanalla typically uses stale bread for it’s recipe, and this one is no different! While you don’t need to set out the bread ahead of time to make this recipe delicious, you can if you’re interested. Just cube the bread, set it out on the counter overnight and make the recipe the next day. Then, continue with the recipe as written.

Recipe Tips

Here are a few tips for making this tomato, cucumber, and peach panzanella salad at home:

• This may go without saying, but this salad is best enjoyed at the peak of summer produce season. The peaches will be their ripest and the tomatoes at their sweetest.
• When choosing a piece of bread for this recipe, I love to grab a french-style baguette. The crust is always perfectly crisp and the bread is nice and chewy. Alternatively, a great loaf of ciabatta is delicious too!

Panzanella Salad Recipe Details

Prep the Produce

To get this recipe started, you’ll first pickle the shallots and do some prep work for the rest of the produce. To do a quick, simple pickle on the shallots, place them into a small mixing bowl. Pour a drizzle of apple cider vinegar, a sprinkle of salt, and sugar over the shallots. Stir to combine the ingredients together and set aside.

Next, get the rest of the produce ready for the salad. Place the peaches, tomatoes, and cucumbers into a large colander. Set the colander into a large mixing bowl, so that any liquid from the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peaches will drain into it. Sprinkle a pinch of salt over the top and toss everything together. Set the bowl and colander aside while you fry the bread.

Fry the Bread

To pan fry the bread for this panzanella salad, preheat a large stainless steel or cast iron frying pan over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes. Add a drizzle of olive oil and let it heat up for about 30 seconds. Add the cubed bread to the frying pan, tossing to coat each piece in the oil.

Fry the bread for about 3 minutes, stirring often so each side of the bread toasts but doesn’t burn. Remove the bread from the frying pan and transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with a small pinch of flaky salt and set aside.

Make the Salad Dressing

Remove the colander with the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peaches from the mixing bowl and set the mixing bowl aside with any juices the tomatoes and peaches have released left in the bowl. Rinse the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peaches in the colander in cold water to rinse off any excess salt that hasn’t soaked in. Leave the colander in the sink to drain while you make the dressing. 

In the mixing bowl with the remaining juice from the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peaches, add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon juice, minced garlic, and grainy dijon mustard. Whisk the ingredients together until they homogenize and become a smooth dressing

Assemble the Panzanella Salad

Once all of the components are made, it’s time to assemble! Into the mixing bowl that you prepared the dressing, add the pan-fried bread, rinsed tomatoes, peaches, and cucumbers, and some freshly chopped basil. Toss to coat every ingredient in the dressing. Add about half of the pickled shallots, leaving behind any of the remaining pickling liquid. Stir to incorporate the shallots in, adding more to taste or saving any remaining shallots for another time. Serve the salad with grated parmesan cheese and enjoy right away! This salad goes perfectly with a simple piece of grilled chicken for dinner or as a starter for a Summery Italian dinner. Pair it with a course of baked meatballs and finish with peach and basil granita for a super special dinner!

If you make this tomato, cucumber, and peach panzanella salad, be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating – I can’t wait to hear how it goes. As always, tag me on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook in your photos. It makes me feel like we’re getting to cook together!

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Tomato Cucumber and Peach Panzanella Salad

Author: Laura Wilkins Cooking Method: Fried Cuisine: Italian Courses: Salads

Difficulty: Intermediate Prep Time 25 mins Cook Time 5 mins Total Time 30 mins

Servings: 4

Best Season: Summer

Dietary:

N Nut Free V Vegetarian

Description

This tomato cucumber and peach panzanella salad is filled with fresh summer produce, pan fried bread, and pickled shallots, and a tangy dressing. The perfect meal for a warm day.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2x 1x 2x 3x

Pickled Shallot

• ¹⁄₂ shallot, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon sugar

Tomato Cucumber Peach Panzanella Salad

• ¹⁄₂ pound yellow peaches, sliced into bite sized pieces
• ¹⁄₂ pound cherry or campari tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• ¹⁄₄ cup hot house Cucumber, quartered and sliced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 heaping cups cubed crusty bread
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish if desired
• Grated parmesan for serving

Salad Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon juice from 1 lemon
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons grainy dijon mustard
• pinch of black pepper

Instructions

Pickle the Shallots

1. Place the thinly sliced shallots into a small mixing bowl. Pour the apple cider vinegar, salt, and sugar over the shallots. Stir to combine the ingredients together. Set aside to pickle while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Prep the Remaining Produce

1. Place the peaches, tomatoes, and cucumbers into a large colander. Set the colander into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the salt over the top and toss to cover in the salt. Set the bowl with the colander inside of it aside while you fry the bread.

Fry the Bread

1. Preheat a large stainless steel or cast iron frying pan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and let the oil warm up for about 30 seconds. Add the cubed bread to the frying pan, tossing to coat in the oil.

2. Fry the bread for about 3 minutes, stirring often so each side of the bread toasts but doesn’t burn. Remove the bread from the frying pan and transfer to a plate. Sprinkle with a small pinch of flaky salt.

Make the Salad Dressing

1. Remove the colander of cucumbers, tomatoes, and peaches from the mixing bowl and set the mixing bowl aside with any juices the tomatoes and peaches have released left in the bowl. Rinse the tomatoes, cucumbers, and peaches in the colander in cold water to rinse off the salt. Leave the colander in the sink to drain while you make the dressing. 

2. In the mixing bowl with the remaining juice from the cucumbers, tomatoes, and peaches, add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and dijon mustard. Whisk the ingredients together until they homogenize.

Assemble the Panzanella Salad

1. Into the mixing bowl with the dressing, add the pan-fried bread, rinsed tomatoes, peaches, and cucumbers, and fresh chopped basil. Toss to coat everything in the dressing. Add about half of the pickled shallots, leaving behind any of the remaining pickling liquid. Stir to incorporate the shallots in, adding more to taste or saving any remaining shallots for another use.

2. Serve the salad with grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!