Grilled Fruit Salad with Arugula

Grilled peaches, plums, and pineapple adorn arugula salad for a wonderfully sweet and savory mash-up. There are so many complementary flavors at work in this summer salad perfect for entertaining.

Hello from the future! Originally a sweet fruit salad/toasted coconut concoction when posted in 2014, I've come from summer 2022 to gut this post and reimagine it to fit my current cravings. Notably arugula, fun tangy vinaigrettes, and prosciutto. Always prosciutto.

This grilled fruit salad with arugula is a show-stopper of a dish that's all but guaranteed to wow your guests when summertime entertaining.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

• Grilled fruit! Brushing the fruit with olive oil before grilling amplifies the juxtaposition between sweet and savory in the best way as the natural sugars caramelize. Fruit doesn't take long to grill and the steps are simple.
• There are so many complementary flavors. We've got it all here, including peaches/prosciutto, prosciutto/mint, mint/feta, feta/honey, and more.
• As with many salads, you can reliably sub in different ingredients to make it your own. Leave out the prosciutto, use goat cheese in place of feta, only use one or two fruits, etc.

Recipe Ingredients

• Arugula: These peppery greens hold their own against the other strong flavors in this grilled fruit salad. That said, you can sub in different leafy greens if you prefer.
• Fruit: Peaches, plums, and pineapple all provide their own delicious flavors when grilled. Make sure they're ripe so they have the best flavor. Specifically with the stone fruit, take care to find peaches and plums that are ripe but not overly so. You don't want them to entirely mush up when sliced.
• Vinaigrette: This is a simple homemade vinaigrette with white balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, honey, fresh mint, salt and pepper, and olive oil. The recipe is in the recipe card below.
• Red onion: Brings a tiny punch!
• Almonds: You can leave them out if you're nut-free or use a different variety, such as pistachios, walnuts, or pine nuts.
• Feta: This is another ingredient that counterbalances sharper flavors with tang. Goat cheese also works if you're a fan.
• Prosciutto: While this can technically be left out, its salty, unique flavor ties all of these ingredients together nicely.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First prepare the honey mint vinaigrette. Add all ingredients (except for the olive oil) to a bowl and give them a whisk. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking until combined. If using a jar or salad dressing shaker bottle, add the olive oil, cap it, and vigorously shake to combine.

2. Next prepare the fruit. Cut each peach and plum in half and then scoop out the pit. I will lightly slice around the edges of the pit with a knife and then grab a spoon to help force it out. It usually doesn't come easily. Slice away the skin of a pineapple, cut the pineapple into half-inch thick slices, then use a knife or small cookie cutter to remove the hard core to end up with pineapple rings.

3. Brush both sides of the peach and plum halves and the pineapple rings with olive oil before grilling them.
4. If using a cast iron grill pan, heat it on the stove for several minutes over medium to medium-high heat before beginning, then place the peaches and plums on the pan, cut-side down. Cook for several minutes, or until grill marks form. Flip and repeat for the other side. Grill the pineapple rings for 3-4 minutes per side, flipping so that both sides get grill marks.
5. If using an outdoor grill, heat it to medium heat (around 350-375°F) before placing the fruit on the grates over direct heat. Close the lid and cook for several minutes, or until grill marks form on the underside. Flip the fruit and do the same for the other side.

6. All that's left is to assemble the grilled fruit salad. Shake up the honey mint vinaigrette so it's well emulsified. Place the arugula down on a serving bowl or platter, then drizzle most of the vinaigrette over and gently toss. Cut the fruit into wedges and place over the arugula, then scatter over the remaining ingredients. Finish with the remaining little drizzle of vinaigrette and serve.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

• Choosing just the right peaches and plums may be tricky. You definitely want them to be ripe so they have maximum flavor, but too ripe and they become mushy and cannot hold their shape when grilled.
• While I would categorize this grilled fruit salad as a heavy side dish, adding grilled chicken would make this an excellent main dish that screams "summer"!
• There are several tools I personally have bought and use that help streamline recipe prep here:
  • A cast iron grill pan gets the job done well if you don't have an outdoor grill, if it's bad weather, or if you don't feel like shlepping outside just to grill some fruit.
  • If using a grill pan, please be careful as the handle gets HOT. Cast iron handle mitts are super helpful, and grill pan scrapers speed up clean-up.
  • As someone who loves to eat pineapple but hates breaking it down, this pineapple corer has been a big help! It quickly produces the perfect rings you see in these photos.

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If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!