Arugula Salad with White Peach Caprese marries the best flavors of summer’s bounty

Nothing says summer like the fresh taste of basil and a delicious pesto — especially when they’re paired with white peaches and arugula. I created this salad several years ago to marry all of the best flavors of summer’s bounty.

If you have time, make your own pesto. If you do not, there’s a great shelf-ready one at Whole Foods that’s delicious. Seggiano is the brand name. It works great in a pinch.

The summer peaches and nectarines have hit the produce section, and now the counter tops at our home are full of them. We could survive on summer fruit alone. I prefer the extra sweetness of the white peaches and nectarines to the yellow ones.

This salad brings together all the perfect summer flavors — basil, peaches, pine nuts (in the pesto, but feel free to add some to the salad, too), lemon and spicy arugula. The salad alone is perfect for lunch or a light dinner, and you can also serve it alongside some grilled fish or shrimp.

Pairing summer wines is a fun exercise in exploration, too. Some friends brought a bottle of Ulacia Txakoli, which is made from a Spanish grape, to our house this past weekend. It was delightfully refreshing, a bit effervescent, and it balanced fruitiness and dryness. I’ll be serving this wine on repeat this summer.

Arugula Salad with White Peach Caprese

Clamshell container of arugula

3-4 white peaches or white nectarines, pitted and sliced into rings

Fresh mozzarella slices

8-10 basil leaves, rinsed and dried

1 tablespoon basil pesto

1/3 cup olive oil

Zest from ½ lemon

Juice from ½ lemon

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Mix pesto, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and kosher salt to make dressing.

Toss arugula with as much dressing as you desire, reserving some for peach caprese. Arrange on a platter. Down the center of the platter, arrange peach or nectarine slices with mozzarella slices and basil leaves layered on top. Drizzle extra dressing over the peach caprese.