youryum

Peach and tomato panzanella with chilli oil
youryum.com/recipes/peach-and-tomato-panzanella-with-chilli-oil · serves 4

Sweet fruit needs a little heat

Chilli oil gives the sweet fruit a savoury edge, while toasted bread catches every drop of tomato and lemon juice.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy free
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 27 August 2026
Share it Jump to recipe Send it
Peach and tomato panzanella drizzled with red chilli oil
Pin it for later
Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Per serving
355kcal
Effort
Easy

Peaches and tomatoes can make a salad taste very sweet. That is not a flaw, but it needs a counterweight. Here it is chilli oil: warm, garlicky and used sparingly enough that the fruit still tastes like fruit.

Make the oil while the bread toasts. It will be ready by the time the tray comes out, and the last spoonful over the top is what makes this version feel finished.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Equipment

  • Small frying pan
  • Large baking tray
  • Large serving bowl

Method

  1. Toast the bread

    Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Toss the bread with two tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Bake for eight to ten minutes, turning once, until the corners are crisp. Cool on the tray while you make the oil.

    Hands stirring chilli flakes and garlic into warm olive oil beside toasted bread

  2. Warm the chilli oil

    Put three tablespoons of oil, the garlic and chilli flakes in a small pan over low heat. Warm for two minutes, until the garlic smells sweet and the flakes colour the oil. Do not let the garlic brown; burnt garlic makes the oil bitter.

  3. Salt the tomatoes

    Put the tomatoes, onion, lemon juice, zest and salt in a large bowl. Toss and leave for five minutes. The salt draws out juice, which is the dressing the bread needs.

  4. Add peaches and bread

    Fold in the peaches and toasted bread. Leave for ten minutes, turning once from the bottom so the bread takes up the tomato juice without being crushed.

  5. Drizzle and serve

    Pour over most of the warm chilli oil and fold in the basil. Spoon the rest over the top. Taste for salt and serve while the bread still has a crisp edge.

Peaches tomatoes bread garlic chilli flakes lemon and basil for panzanella
The chilli should colour the oil, not dominate the fruit.

How hot should it be

Chilli oil gets hotter as it sits, especially if the flakes stay in the jar. The first spoonful should taste fragrant, slightly warm and a little salty, not like a dare. If your oil is already hot, use one tablespoon in the bowl and put the rest on the table. The tomatoes and peaches will dilute it, but they cannot remove heat once you have added too much.

Garlic that turns brown has gone too far.

If you have no chilli flakes, use a thinly sliced fresh red chilli in the oil and remove it after two minutes. Aleppo pepper gives a softer, fruity heat; black pepper gives a sharper one. Avoid chilli powder, which can make the oil muddy and burn quickly in the pan.

Keeping the edges crisp

Mix the bowl just before eating and reserve a handful of bread for the top. That last handful stays crisp and gives the salad a proper finish, even when the tomatoes are exceptionally juicy.

Keep the chilli behind the fruit

Chilli oil can flatten a fruit salad when it is too hot or too bitter. Warm the oil gently with garlic and flakes, then leave it to stand while the bread toasts. The resting time lets the heat spread through the oil instead of arriving in one harsh spot. Taste a drop on bread before it reaches the tomatoes. If the oil is loud, add more plain oil and a little lemon. If it is gentle, keep the amount and let the peaches do some of the balancing. The bread should be toasted enough to take on dressing but not so dry that it scratches the mouth. Add the chilli oil gradually, folding the bowl after each spoonful. Tomatoes release more juice as they sit, so a salad that looked underdressed at the start may be right ten minutes later. Keep basil away from the hot pan and tear it over the bowl at the end. The green leaves should smell fresh, not cooked.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 355 kcal
Protein 6 g
Carbohydrate 48 g
Fibre 5 g
Fat 16 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use shop-bought chilli oil?
Yes, provided it is mostly oil rather than a thick crunchy condiment. Start with two tablespoons and add more at the table.
Will this be very spicy?
Not if you use mild flakes and keep the quantity small. The oil should give a warm finish, not erase the peach.
Can I use nectarines?
Yes. They have a firmer skin and hold their shape particularly well in the bowl.

Filed under

Cook this next

All recipes →