*The* Soba Salad Situation for the Summer

The star player is quick-pickled apricots

I’m lucky to have few dietary restrictions, but this time of year, I really feel my stone fruit allergy. It’s such a strange one. Cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums—if I eat them raw, 8 out of 10 times my mouth and throat alarmingly swell up, and it only subsides once I wonder if I should head to the ER. Does this happen for anyone else?

However if the stone fruit is cooked, such as in a galette or a cobbler or in a sauce, no problem at all. And most times, a peeled peach, nectarine, or plum is also fine. But right now, when the peach perfume at the farmers’ market can almost give you a high, I lament my condition. I just want to walk home with nectarine juice dribbling down my chin.

An easy workaround that I’ve figured, which splits the difference between raw and cooked, is doing a very quick pickle of these fruits. I just pour a bit of hot brine over them. It works extremely well for salad and sweet-savory treatments, such as today’s recipe, and the acid and heat seem to neutralize whatever the thing is that affects me.

The appetite for a cold soba noodle salad (if you hadn’t heard, it’s been hot out) and recently spotting some apricots, is what’s led to this salad that satisfies my current cravings. It really prioritizes crunch, using a medley of quenching raw veg that’s carefully sliced long and thin so that it mingles, somewhat, with the noodles. There’s red cabbage, celery, and cucumber.

But quickly pickled apricots are really the star, dancing around in this salad like firefly flavor explosions. They become softened and a bit more pliable, but not really soft, it that makes sense. And you won’t waste the pickling brine, because it becomes the base for a zippy vinaigrette that’s got a bit of heat thanks to this Xilli Salsa Macha, which my friend Lesley introduced me to.

Xilli Verazruz Salsa Macha — so delicious

This stuff is incredible, both on its own and in every form I’ve eaten it—drizzled over my daily frittata, spooned over last week’s halloumi-stuffed dates, scooped up with a tortilla chip. But any chili crisp or spicy chili oil would work perfectly well in this recipe, or for less or no heat, leave it out and use a bit more sesame oil instead.

There are a few notes below regarding its significant yield, as well as some suggestions for customizing it. If a beach lunch is in your near future, this would be a good one to pack. Otherwise if you’re staying in with the shades drawn, steering clear of a heat wave, then I can attest that a giant bowl of this salad is excellent company.

Recipe Video