Late-Summer Peaches with Burrata & Fly By Jing Chili Crisp

We've reached the point in August when the farmers markets feel almost overwhelming. The stone fruit, tomatoes, herbs and vegetables are so fragrant and perfect you want to buy everything at once. Most of it hardly needs more than salt, pepper, and a little excellent olive oil. But if you’ve been eating peaches straight from the counter all week, you might start thinking about how to take them past “snack” and into “dinner.” A good condiment can get you there in one step, and for us, that’s been Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp.

Chili crisp has long been a staple in many Chinese kitchens, with countless regional variations. At its best, it’s not just about heat but about depth and texture—crunchy bits of garlic and onion suspended in fragrant oil, layered with savoury complexity. We’ve tried many versions over the years. Lao Gan Ma remains a pantry fixture for quick stir-fries and everyday sauces, but when summer produce is at its peak and deserves something with a little more nuance, Fly By Jing is the one we reach for. Made with all-natural, umami-rich ingredients, it has a gentle, lingering heat and a flavour that works as pretty much anything you'd like to drizzle it into.

This week it’s been in heavy rotation. We spooned it into Hettie McKinnon’s Dumpling Tomato Salad with Chile Crisp Vinaigrette from The New York Times, where it tucks a complex and savoury heat into every bite, and we brought back a recipe we first shared last summer: ripe peaches and burrata drizzled with that chili crisp and honey and piled onto grilled bread. It’s sweet, spicy, creamy and crisp all at once—a perfect dish to serve to friends on a warm evening when you don't want to turn on the stove.

Peaches with Burrata & Chili Crisp
Serves 4–6 as an appetizer

Ingredients:
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp
big pinch salt
2–3 peaches, cut into slices and chunks
pinch sugar
¾ baguette, cut on the bias ¾-inch thick
olive oil for brushing
1 clove garlic, cut in half
250g burrata
handful small basil leaves (Thai basil is ideal)

Method:

1. Combine honey and chili crisp in a bowl and season with salt to taste.

2. Toss peaches with a pinch of sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, or until juicy.

3. Heat a grill or broiler on high heat.

4. Brush both sides of baguette slices lightly with olive oil, then grill or broil for 30 seconds to 1 minute per side, until golden and crisp with light charring at the edges.

5. Rub the cut side of the garlic clove lightly over one side of each toast.

6. Tear burrata into pieces on a serving plate. Top with peaches and their juices, drizzle with the honey mixture, and scatter over the basil. Serve with spoons for piling onto the toasts.

And once you have a jar of Fly By Jing in the house, you'll find so many ways to use it: stirred into a vinaigrette for tomatoes or cucumbers, drizzled over grilled corn, folded through labneh, spooned onto shrimp, or tossed with hot noodles and fresh herbs for a five-minute lunch. Especially at this time of year, when the ingredients are already singing, it’s the easiest way to keep meals interesting without extra effort.

Fly By Jing’s Sichuan Chili Crisp is available for delivery in our shop, so it’s ready for whenever the mood (or the produce) strikes.

Shop Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp]