Why this recipe works it’s not hard to find recipes for corn salad, but it’s surprisingly hard to find a good recipe. The standard preparation method stripping kernels off the cob, adding vegetables (usually tomatoes, onions, and/or peppers), and tossing with dressing—produced salads that were not up to snuff. Instead, browning the kernels lightly in a skillet for a few minutes gave even inferior, out-of-season corn a complex, nutty dimension. As for the dressing, it took equal parts oil and vinegar to create a dressing that balanced the sugary corn. Don’t add the tomatoes to the toasted corn until it is cool, as otherwise the heat from the corn will partially cook them.
SERVES: 4 to 6
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 tomatoes, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces Salt and pepper
- 2½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (about 5 cups)
- 2 scallions, sliced thin
- 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Toss tomatoes with ½ teaspoon salt in bowl, then transfer to colander. Set colander over bowl and let drain for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and stir in scallions, vinegar, remaining 1½ tablespoons oil, ¾ teaspoon
salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper; let cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. - Stir in drained tomatoes and parsley. Let sit until flavors meld, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
VARIATIONS:
WATERMELON-FETA FRESH CORN SALAD:
- Replace tomatoes with 2 cups watermelon, cut into ½-inch pieces, and 2 cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthwise, seeded, and cut into ½-inch pieces. Stir 1 cup crumbled feta cheese into cooked and cooled corn.
- Replace parsley with ¼ cup minced fresh mint.
ARUGULA–GOAT CHEESE FRESH CORN SALAD:
- Omit parsley. Replace white wine vinegar with 1½ tablespoons lemon juice. Stir in 2 cups chopped baby arugula and 1 cup crumbled goat cheese with tomatoes.
TUSCAN FRESH CORN SALAD:
- Replace white wine vinegar with 1½ tablespoons red wine vinegar. Toss 1 (15-ounce) can rinsed cannellini beans with vinaigrette and hot corn. Replace parsley with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil.
