I would never describe my food blog as particularly data-driven—more data-damned, than anything—but I could not help noticing that of late, American and British readers not only outnumber those from New Zealand, it’s at a proportionate size that I could only describe as comparing the hair height of a Dolly Parton wig to that of a person wearing a swimming cap. Some of that is the old per capita thing, in that there’s only so many New Zealanders to go around and our entire population could fit into a slight yet undeniably gerrymandered county on the Eastern Seaboard. Between the metric measurements and the highly locale-specific hatred of the supermarket duopoly (and referring to cilantro as coriander) I’m not sure what’s in it for the Americans specifically, but can only assume the ones reading this are cool as I am and as horrified by the same things as I am. This isn’t the first time I’ve noted this palpable attention; nonetheless, upon taking in this persistent data point I feel cheerfully obliged to throw the northern hemisphere another culinary bone acknowledging your being right in the middle of summer, with this utterly stunning Peach, Prawn and Corn Salad.

Obviously it’s winter here, yet I still managed to make this easily enough; with the disclaimer that the price of peaches is what I’d describe as ‘stupid’ but—if I may once again display the kind of economic prowess that you’ve come to expect round here—I maintain that if I’m supposed to eat seasonally, then don’t show me peaches in winter but also, don’t force them into existence then sell them to me at a ludicrously high price like it’s my fault. There is no moral high ground to be clambered upon by letting these peaches rot on the shelf in the name of seasonal eating! Besides which, with the cost of living crisis and various ecological impacts surging powerfully onward like a chemtrail, seasonal produce is no longer comparatively cheap and no one knows the value of a dollar (least of all me, obviously.)

That being said. If you’re on my side of the equator, this salad will probably taste even better in about four months’ time. It sure does taste incredible right now, though.

The corn and peach share more than just colour, they’re both indecorously juicy and brightly, fragrantly sweet—the corn with a nutty edge, the peach pure and slightly acidic. The sprightly bounciness of the corn is echoed in the prawns, which have a mellow sweetness of their own; and together their shapes echo each other pleasingly—the rounded, clinging corn kernels, the furled apostrophe of the flash-fried prawns, the half-moon peaches. Grounding all this sweetness and texture are the peppery rocket leaves, and the musky, twilight-haze warmth of the basil—the crucial element that makes it all make sense, and I urge you not to leave it out.

The because-it’s-summer-somewhere trompe-de-season here is that the singular stone fruit is the one truly time-dependent ingredient—the remaining components merely evoke summer with their presence, with the rambunctious shades of gold and canary suggesting and heralding the sun overhead. Whatever season you’re in, even the merest crack of blue sky through the blinds is enough impetus to make this salad, which is as simple to assemble as it is delicious. With all the prawn-protein and fibrousness of the corn it’s also a surprisingly robust supper for one, but too good to keep for yourself—throw in a few extra prawns and leaves and it can happily accomodate two deserving people.

I honestly completely forgot that I’d previously trod this ground with this Salmon, Mango and Coriander Salad back in still-wintry May of this year; it seems significantly longer ago and I highly recommend that salad as a companion piece. I also recommend this Corn Butter Risotto, no-churn Corn, Raspberry, and Mascarpone Ice Cream and Vegan Fresh Peach Galette if you’re feeling this wavelength.

And if I may, a reminder that you can sign up here to hear irregular and unobtrusive updates and details about my forthcoming 2025 debut novel, Hoods Landing. Find out more, which you probably already know, at my official author website. You can also, thrillingly, pre-order Hoods Landing worldwide and locally for delivery or pickup—tell your friends! Tell your enemies! Tell the indifferent, who could be swayed in either direction!

Peach, prawn and corn salad

A salad of stunning summery substantiality that’s perfect year-round; balancing all that juicy sweetness with the pepperiness of rocket and the warmth of basil. (To that end, the amounts for each is about three handfuls of the former and one handful of the latter.) This salad is SO delicious—don’t wait for warm weather to make it for yourself; but the peaches will possibly be better and marginally cheaper if you do. Before going shopping for these or any ingredients, I recommend checking out the Boycott Aotearoa zines so you know which brands to avoid. Recipe by myself.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus an extra dash for frying)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 large, ripe yet firm peach
• 1 ear ready-to-eat sweetcorn on the cob
• 15g fresh basil
• 30g rocket (or arugula, for the northern hemisphere)
• 100g frozen, shelled raw prawns

1: In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together the tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of half a lemon—roughly two tablespoons—and the 1/4 teaspoon salt, and set aside.

2: Finely slice the peach, working your way around its cheeks as you cut them off, and set aside. Hold the sweetcorn cob vertically against the cutting board and slice off the kernels downwards in long ribbons—the kernels should hold themselves together well—and then break them into the shorter, irregular lengths that you see in the photos. Set this aside also.

3: Finely but roughly chop the 15g basil and stems. Place the 30g rocket into a large mixing bowl along with most of the peach slices, corn segments, and chopped basil, saving small amounts of each for adornment. Drizzle 3/4 of the dressing in and toss to combine. If you’re planning on eating this straight from the Big Bowl, throw everything in and worry not about garnish or visuals.

4: Heat a small splash of olive oil in a frying pan and clatter in the 100g frozen raw prawns, letting them fry for about 3 minutes a side, or until they shift from translucently grey to opaque white and pink-tinged—this shouldn’t take long, even straight from frozen. Remove from the heat.

5: Transfer the salad onto the plate you’re going to eat it from, tip over the cooked prawns, arrange the remaining peach slices, corn segments, and chopped basil on top, and pour over the remaining droplets of dressing.

Serves one, generously—to serve two people you could probably keep the peaches, corn and basil the same, but double the prawns, rocket, and dressing. If you’re serving any more than that, you’ll need to double the other guys, too. I recommend eating this immediately, though it can keep fairly well in the fridge for a few hours—or, to buy yourself some time, make everything except the prawns up to a day ahead of time, adding them at the last minute.

Notes:

• A nectarine is also ideal here; and though I haven’t tried it, I imagine mangoes could more than hold their own as a peach replacement.
• You can of course have tail-on prawns here too—particularly if, like me, you enjoy crunching down on the tails anyway—but add an extra 50g or so to the weight to account for it.

music lately:

Oh! Tengo Suerte by Masayoshi Takanaka. Could not possibly feel more like I’m on a yacht right now. And there’s a wobbly tremolo effect? Say no more. I am on board. On board this yacht, specifically. Wait, there’s a beguilingly tumultuous time signature change in the extended outro? Keep talking, actually!

Svefn-g-englar, by Sigur Rós. Can’t settle on whether it sounds like a spiderweb weeping for each droplet of morning dew as it hangs heavy on the thread before falling away to be absorbed by the earth below or like the aural representation of purple dusk bleeding into the last vermillion gasps of a setting sun. Thoughts? I think there’s also an ocean metaphor to be mined here!

King of the Kerb by Echobelly, I love that washing-machine-agitator record-skip repetition on the pre-chorus of this crunchily glam song; Sonya Madan is so cool.

PS: Feeling hopeless is a luxury that serves no one but those perpetrating the hopelessness. You can donate to ReliefAid’s Gaza Appeal, who are connected with teams on the ground in Gaza; you can donate to Convoys of Good, another registered NZ charity distributing aid. You can also donate to mutual aid accounts such as the one discussed in this harrowing but necessary story. Don’t be afraid of the non-matching account name when you transfer! As I’ve already mentioned, you can also demonstrate your control and power through the absence of your dollars. Boycott Zine Aotearoa has helpfully put together two comprehensive free zines so you can quickly see who to studiously avoid when buying food, drinks, household items and beauty products.