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Probiotic Peach & Tomato Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts, Mint & Basil

I’ve been experimenting more with some basic fermentation at home lately, mixing
salt with various fruits and vegetables and letting them sit in a covered glass
container at room temperature for a few days (or sometimes weeks!). With this
technique, you can achieve a depth of flavor from your vegetables that you didn’t
think was possible. A similar approach is used in some of the most famous
kitchens across the globe. While it may seem intimidating or strange, salted
fermentation techniques are quite safe, and have been around since the Romans!
In this recipe, I am combining salted tomatoes, peaches, a mint in a jar for a few
days, and then using those ingredients to form the base for a delicious fermented
side salad. You can eat this as a snack by itself, or as an accompaniment to grilled
chicken or fish.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Fermentation:

  • 200 g water (room temperature)
  • 12 g Kosher salt
  • 12 fresh mint leaves
  • 6 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 2 peaches (200g, slightly underripe, cut into thick slices)
  • 2 ripe tomatoes (200g, cut into large bite-sized chunks)
  • A glass jar large enough to hold the tomatoes and peaches
  • A glass or ceramic weight to keep the fruits and vegetables submerged

Additional Salad Components:

  • 1 ripe peach (cut into slices)
  • ½ cup Feta cheese
  • 2 Tbsp pine nuts (lightly toasted)
  • 2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar

Instructions 

  • When purchasing your tomatoes and peaches from the market, see if you can buy organic produce, where the peaches and tomatoes are less likely to contain pesticides.
  • Clean and sanitize a glass jar.
  • Combine the 200 grams of room temperature water with the Kosher salt.
  • Stir until the Kosher salt is dissolved, and set the salt water brine aside for later.
  • Add the fresh mint and basil leaves to your clean fermentation jar, along with 1 tsp of coriander seeds.
  • Add the sliced peaches and chunks of tomato.
  • Press down gently on the tomatoes and peaches, and then pour the salt water brine until the contents are completely submerged.
  • Place a glass or ceramic weight on top, to keep the fruits and vegetables submerged below the surface of the salt water brine during the next three days as they ferment.
  • Secure the contents with a lid, and open up the fermentation jar every day, as gas will escape from the fruit and need to be released from the jar periodically during the fermentation process.
  • Note at this stage that your ideal fermentation environment should be dark with a steady temperature of roughly 65˚-70˚F.
  • Every day, open the jar to release the built-up CO2, and to check on the progress of your fermentation.
  • After three days of fermentation, drain the tomatoes and fermented peaches from the brine, and divide into 4 small bowls.
  • Top each bowl with some of the ripe unfermented peach slices, Feta cheese, and some pine nuts.
  • Drizzle some Extra Virgin Olive oil and with some sherry vinegar on top.

Notes

With the peaches used in the fermentation here, try to begin with peaches are not overripe and soft to begin with, as they have a tendency to fall apart after sitting in the salt water brine. Try to select peaches that are less soft for this part of the recipe.
You can add a serrano or habanero pepper to the initial fermentation, if you are looking to spice things up here.
With any fermentation, if you notice that a fuzzy white, green, or black mold has formed, it is safest to discard the contents and try to start again. This shouldn’t be a problem with this recipe.