Arugula Salad with Grilled Apricots, Burrata, and Prosciutto
This arugula salad with grilled apricots is the salad I make when I want people to think I tried really hard. I did not. Peppery arugula, fire-kissed apricots, creamy burrata, salty prosciutto, and a three-ingredient vinaigrette. That’s it.
Let’s talk about what’s happening here, because it all excites me so much.
Arugula is the base. Peppery, green, slightly bitter. Then come the apricots, halved and laid cut-side down on a hot grill, coated in olive oil and a few sprigs of fresh thyme before they hit the grates. The heat coaxes out a deep, jammy sweetness. They get soft around the edges, slightly caramelized, just a little smoky. You’re going to eat one straight off the grill and that’s allowed. Just don’t burn your tongue.
Then comes the burrata. Torn open, draped over the greens, all creamy and delicious. Then the prosciutto. Sliced thin, salty, a little translucent, folded loosely over everything.
The dressing is white wine vinegar, good olive oil, thinly sliced red onion, salt and pepper. That’s it. It doesn’t need anything else.
This salad is the sum of beautiful ingredients that just really all work together.
Thank jamie Oliver
I always have the TV on when I cook. Cooking shows, obviously.
So there I am, and Jamie Oliver comes on. He’s on a mountaintop in Tuscany. “All alone,” wood fire grill, glass of white wine in hand, fruit trees as far as the eye can see. Just a regular Tuesday for Jamie. He’s talking to me like I, too, am on a mountaintop and a wood fire grill. I have a gas range and a ceiling fan.
By the way, Jamie, if you’re reading this, you’re not! I think we’d be good friends. I’m a lot of fun at dinner.
Anyway, I didn’t write down a single step or measurement. I just watched him bite into this salad like it was the best thing he had ever tasted, and that was it. I had to recreate it. I’d made something like this before, but it was his simplicity, his whole thing of letting the ingredients speak for themselves. No fuss. Just really good stuff from really good places.
It brought me right back to our trip to Tuscany last year. The fruit trees, the rolling hills, the way everything just tasted better there. I was determined to get that feeling of pure delight in this bite of salad. I have to say, it’s pretty close.
The Ingredients In This Arugula Salad With Grilled Apricots
- Arugula — if your local farmer’s market has it, get it there. You’ll taste the difference.
- Apricots — peaches work beautifully here too if that’s what you’ve got.
- Burrata — adds a creaminess to the salad and works so with the grilled fruit.
- Prosciutto — if you can get it from a local butcher, do that. Have them slice it thin.
- Red onion — thinly sliced and left to mellow in the vinegar while you pull everything else together.
- White wine vinegar — champagne vinegar works just as well and is slightly softer.
- Olive oil — go for the good stuff here. You’ll taste it. I love Brightland for dressings.
- Fresh thyme — tossed with the apricots before they hit the grill, and a few extra sprigs on top when you plate. It plays really well with the fruit.
- Lemon juice — optional, but if you like a bright citrus finish, a squeeze at the end does something really nice.
- Salt and pepper — to taste in the dressing, and I like to finish the whole salad with a few extra grinds of black pepper right before serving.
How to make this Arugula salad with grilled apricots
Cut the apricots. Slice them in quarters, cutting around the pit, you’ll feel where it is, just work around it.
In a shallow dish, pour a generous drizzle of olive oil and toss in a few thyme sprigs. Add the apricots and turn them around in the oil, rubbing the thyme sprigs right against the fruit. Let that sit for a few minutes while you get everything else ready.
Make the dressing on the plate. This is the Jamie move that got me. Pour equal parts olive oil and white wine vinegar directly onto the platter you’re serving the salad on, ideally something with a little depth to it, so the dressing doesn’t run off. Add your thinly sliced red onion right into that pool of dressing and get in there with your hands, mixing it around so the onion starts to soak it all up. Season with salt and pepper and let it sit. It’s simple and it’s brilliant.
Grill the apricots. Medium heat. Place them cut-side down and leave them alone for 2 to 3 minutes until you get those caramel grill marks. Flip gently, another minute or two. You want soft, jammy, and slightly smoky. Pull them off and set aside. Save the slightly charred thyme; it can add a little texture and smoke to the finished salad.
Assemble. Add the arugula right to the plate and toss it with your hands through that dressing and onion mixture, just get it coated. Nestle the grilled apricots in and around. Tear the burrata open and let it fall wherever it wants. Tuck the prosciutto in loosely, in waves. Finish with a few extra thyme leaves, a squeeze of lemon if you’re feeling it, and a generous grind of black pepper. Sprinkle some of the charred thyme leaves at the end.
What pairs well
We’re staying on theme here, think Tuscany, warm evenings, and a table full of good food.
Start with a drink. A crisp glass of white wine is the obvious move and, honestly, the right one. Or kick things off with my Limoncello Spritz. Bubbly, bright, and very much in the spirit of the whole situation.
Make it a meal. This salad was made to sit alongside Nanny’s Chicken or a light pasta works beautifully too. My Lemon Ricotta Pasta is the perfect companion. Simple, creamy, and it lets the salad shine.
Make This Arugula salad with grilled apricots your own
Jamie always says to make a recipe your own. And since we’re friends, (haha) I take his advice seriously.
The vinegar. White wine vinegar is my go-to; champagne vinegar works beautifully, too. If the vinegar ratio feels like too much, pull back a little; there are no rules here. Taste as you go.
The fruit. Peaches and nectarines are stunning on the grill and swap in perfectly. More fruit in general is never a bad idea. Jamie would agree.
The cheese. Always more cheese. Always. Fresh mozzarella works if you can’t find burrata, but if you can find burrata, find the burrata.
The greens. A mix of arugula and watercress adds even more pepper. Baby spinach is milder if you want to tone it down a bit.
The prosciutto. Speck or thinly sliced serrano ham both play nicely here if that’s what you have on hand.
Questions from the Mountaintop
Yes. A grill pan on the stovetop works perfectly. You can also roast the apricots in a 425°F oven, cut-side up, for about 10 minutes. You’ll lose the smokiness but gain the caramelized sweetness, which is the real star anyway.
Fresh mozzarella is the closest swap; it’s milder but still creamy and delicious. Ricotta dolloped on top would also work and feels very rustic and Italian.
The dressing can be made a few hours ahead, the onions just keep getting better. The apricots can be grilled an hour or so in advance and served at room temperature. Just wait to assemble until right before serving.
It’s perfect for a dinner party. It looks impressive, takes almost no time, and gives you a reason to open a bottle of white wine at 4pm. Which is the real win.
Until We Meet Again, Jamie
Jamie Oliver on a Tuscan mountaintop didn’t know he was making this salad happen in my kitchen. But here we are.
The best recipes don’t always come from cookbooks or years of tradition. Sometimes they come from a rainy afternoon, a television screen, and a man who looks like he’s having the absolute time of his life over a wood fire with a glass of wine.
That’s the kind of recipe inspiration I can get behind. Make this salad. Drink the wine. Maybe one day Jamie and I will be friends.
Probably not. But the salad is excellent.
Don’t forget to join the cozy crew. I spew all my thoughts on food.
Arugula Salad with Grilled Apricots
Ingredients
- 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs
- 4-5 apricots quartered around the pit
- olive oil for coating the apricots
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 cups fresh arugula
- 1 ball fresh burrata
- 3-4 slices prosciutto thinly sliced
- ½ lemon juiced, optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, combine a drizzle of olive oil and thyme sprigs. Add the quartered apricots and turn to coat, rubbing the thyme sprigs against the fruit. Let sit for a few minutes.
- Pour olive oil and vinegar directly onto your serving platter. Add the thinly sliced red onion and mix with your hands to lightly pickle. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat the grill on medium. Place apricots cut-side down and grill 2 to 3 minutes until caramelized. Flip and cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add arugula to the platter and toss with your hands through the dressing and onion until lightly coated.
- Nestle grilled apricots throughout. Tear burrata and place over the salad. Tuck prosciutto in loosely.
- Finish with extra thyme leaves, a squeeze of lemon if using, and a generous grind of black pepper. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Peaches or nectarines work beautifully if apricots aren’t available.
- Use a platter with slight depth so the dressing doesn’t run off.
- This salad is best served immediately.
