This colorful peach and chiogga beet salad showcases sweet summer peaches and thinly shaved candy-stripe chiogga beets. Simply dressed in a red wine and olive oil vinaigrette, arranged on a bed of arugula, and sprinkled with crunchy salty-sweet pecans–this salad is over the top!
For their bright deep pink and white spirals, chioggia beets (kee-OH-gee-uh), are sometimes called candy cane or candy stripe beets. Their name comes from the northern Italy town Chioggia.
The whimsical candy-cane spirals of these heirloom beets show most brightly when raw, thinly sliced, almost shaved. Paired with the best peaches summer has to offer, it’s a beautiful marriage.
For the salty-sweet candied pecans, stir pecan pieces or halves in a skillet with maple syrup, olive oil, and salt, until the pecans are lightly toasted. They’re a quick and easy finish to this salad. And they’re addictive!
For another flavor note, I like to arrange the peaches and beets on a bed of lightly dressed peppery arugula. You can use mixed greens if you don’t have any arugula and you want to make this salad.
A simple vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and salt is the dressing that ties all these flavors together.
How to make Peach and Chioggia Beet Salad with Candied Pecans:
- Candy the pecans: Stir maple syrup, olive oil, salt and pecans together in a skillet and cook and stir until the pecans are toasted and candied.
- Shave the chiogga beets crosswise, as thinly as possible. To get them super thin, it helps to use a culinary mandoline. (Affiliate link.)
- Slice the peaches. You don’t need to peel them.
- Make a simple vinaigrette: In bowl, whisk red wine vinegar and olive oil together. Add a pinch or two of salt.
- To serve: Gently toss the arugula with a small amount of the dressing. In another bowl, do the same with the beets and peach slices.
- Arrange the arugula on plates. If I think about it ahead of time, I like to chill the plates in the refrigerator so they’re nice and cold.
- Arrange the beets and peaches on top of the greens. Sprinkle lightly with freshly ground pepper.
- Scatter the salty-sweet pecans on top for a tasty showstopper salad!
- For each person, plan on a decent handful of arugula, a half of a local peach, one or two small chioggia beets, and about a tablespoon of the candied pecans.
Chiogga beets for this recipe are peeled and then sliced raw. Thinly sliced, the beet flavor is delicate and they have a pleasing crunch. Cooked, chiogga beets lose their candy stripe brilliance. You can see the color loss in the photos for this recipe for easy grill-roasted beets and garlic.
Another day, when you do want cooked beets, this post teaches you how to cook beets in the pressure cooker. In the pressure cooker or Instant Pot, beets cook in 15 minutes–less heat in the kitchen–a bonus for warm summer days.
Where do you find chiogga beets?
I first learned about chiogga beets when they arrived in my CSA box. Now I look for them at farmer’s markets. On occasion, you can find them in higher-end grocers.
When peaches are in season you’ll want to make these other peachy recipes:
- This peach and arugula pizza with smoked cheddar cheese and thinly sliced red onion is a winner!
- This Spicy Peach and Tomato Salsa is great with tacos or as a dip for crunchy corn chips.
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* I first created this recipe for my CSA newsletter in August 2012 and later moved it to this blog. This is an update.
Peach and Chiogga Beet Salad with Candied Pecans
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette:
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the pecans:
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ⅓ cup chopped pecans
For the salad:
- 5 ounces arugula
- 3 each chiogga beets
- 2 each peaches
Instructions
Candy the pecans:
- Pour the maple syrup in a small skillet. Stir the olive oil, salt and pecans. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the pecans are toasted and candied, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool.
Make the vinaigrette:
- In bowl, whisk the red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil together. Add a pinch or two of salt.
Compose the salad:
- Using a mandoline, shave chiogga beets crosswise as thinly as possible.
- Cut the peaches into slices about 1/3-inch thick.
- Gently toss the arugula with a small amount of the dressing. In another bowl, do the same with the beets and peach slices. Arrange the arugula on plates, followed by the beets and peaches. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Sprinkle with the salty-sweet pecans. (See notes.)
Notes
- Use a culinary mandoline, to thinly slice the beets.
- For each person, plan on a decent handful of arugula, preferably with the stems removed, a half of a local peach, one or two small chioggia beets, and about a tablespoon of the candied pecans.
