A fresh, pretty salad with surprises. This is a wonderful recipe from Athena Calderone. ALL of her recipes are incredibly easy to make, yet they contain complex flavors, in this case sweet and creamy with a little heat from the Serrano and a delicious crunch factor from the dukkah, an Egyptian spice blend made with warm spices like coriander and cumin and nuts and seeds. Easy to find in grocery stores or Amazon (of course) — or make it yourself. I put it on almost every salad I make.

INGREDIENTS

Salad:

• 2-3 Kirby or Persian cucumbers, cut into 1” angled cubes 
• 2 peaches, halved and sliced into ¼” slices 
• 1 avocado, halved and cubed 
• ¼ cup pickled red onions 
• ¼ cup crumbled feta 
• 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced into rounds 
• Extra virgin olive oil, hearty drizzle 
• Lime, juiced and zested 
• Roughly torn parsley or cilantro leaves 
• Dukkah spice blend 
• Flaky sea salt 
• Freshly cracked pepper 

Pickled Red Onions:

• 1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin 
• ½ cup white wine or apple cider vinegar 
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds 
• 1 tablespoon honey

THE PREP

Salad:

Build this salad on the plate, from the bottom up. Begin with the cucumbers and layer with peach slices, avocado cubes, pickled onions, feta, and chili rounds. Drizzle with olive oil and fresh lime juice. Finish the salad with fresh lime zest, torn herbs, dukkah, salt, and pepper.

Pickled Red Onions:

Bring vinegar, coriander, and honey to a simmer. Turn the heat off and pour the liquid over the sliced red onion. Allow the onion to pickle for 15 to 20 minutes. Store in an airtight container for 2 days.