I had to jump on this bandwagon because this is Matt and my favorite salad in the summer; we CRAVE it during the winter when produce isn’t as good (and I finally stopped trying to make it work). It goes with tacos, steaks, chicken, a spoon – delish.
There are versions of this salad all over the web. One here has many of the same elements as mine, another here also adds bacon (!!! will have to try that !!!) but for my two cents worth, here’s what I do:
Find the sweetest, freshest corn you can – 2 ears are enough for Matt and I to gorge ourselves on this salad and still have leftovers. You can either use it raw (taste first) or lightly boil (like 2-3 minutes) – that’s up to you but I usually boil to bring out the sweetness. I’ll be trying it charred next time. (Note: Frozen corn just doesn’t cut it here, I’ve tried it)
Get two big avocados, ripe but not too ripe. I prefer slightly riper than Matt because the avocado breaks down a bit and helps create the sauce when stirring, but Matt likes lots of big, defined avocado chunks. Both ways really do work.
Get the freshest, sweetest tomatoes you can find – heirlooms, cherries, beefsteak, whatever you prefer.
Gather an onion (we like the sweet varieties for this), a jalapeno, jicima, a sweet bell pepper (any but the green), a lime, salt and pepper.
Start chopping and dicing, baby.
We like big chunks of the tomato and avocado (like 1/2 inch size), a smaller chunk for the bell pepper and jicima, and a small dice on the onion and jalapeno. Remember, if you want more heat in the jalapeno, you can make bigger chunks and also leave some seeds and/or membrane intact.
Once you’re all chopped up, dress:
Dress to taste with the fresh lime juice, salt and pepper. I’m using Fleur de Sel here because I have it on hand and like to treat myself, but regular table salt or sea salt work just fine.
Then stir it up. Use a pretty bowl, please. = )
At this point you can tuck your Summer Corn Salad in the fridge until the rest of dinner is done (you can make this several hours ahead too), or dig right in. Leftovers will last into the next day but as usual with avocado you can get a little browning so you’ll have to judge how long leftovers last for you on your tolerance for that.
I had to try it with bacon last night and I have to say – WOW. YUM. HOLY SMOKES. Yup, bacon will be added in the future but I would definitely add it right before serving and not stir it into the pot unless you like soggy bacon. In that case, knock yourself out! (Avoid the grease pit and cook your bacon in the oven, works great!)
Oh, did you want an actual recipe? Hmmm, this salad is really a “to taste” affair, and should be adapted to quantities and flavors you like. Hate jicima? Leave it out! REALLY love corn? Add more! I can see this working with some added cilantro, black beans, cojita or queso fresco cheese, even shredded carrot if you’re really feeling it… but if you need basic quantities to start, here goes:
Summer Corn Salad
(this makes a big ‘ol bowl of goodness, like 6 cups??)
2 ears of corn, cut from the cob 2 good sized, ripe avocados 1 – 2 medium tomatoes, or enough tomato to make about a cup 1/2 of a sweet bell pepper 1/2 cup jicima, peeled 1/4 cup diced sweet onion 1/2 of a jalapeno 1 – 2 limes, juiced Salt and pepper to taste crispy crumbled bacon (optional) Chop and dice veggies as desired, dress with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste, stir it up and enjoy!
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