This corn salad recipe comes together with just a few ingredients and will easily become a summer staple. It’s made with fresh grilled corn, creamy avocado, fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and feta, and tossed in a vibrant dressing.
One of my favorite things about summer is BBQ and all the fresh fruit and produce that is so readily available that we just don’t have access to in the winter months. There are so many great options for salads and side dishes, and this recipe is no exception. But if you’re looking for a few more side dishes to add to your summer side dish list, try a few of my favorites: broccoli salad or strawberry spinach salad.
Table of Contents
Ingredients you need to make summer corn salad
- Corn I like to use fresh corn white or yellow works for this recipe, but you can definitely use frozen or canned and just sauté in a little bit of oil until the kernels start to turn golden.
- English Cucumber regular slicing cucumber can be used here as well.
- Red Onion For flavor and color, the onion will give you a little bit of heat as well. You can also use green onions as an alternative.
- Red Bell Pepper A bell pepper adds a nice crunch to the salad and a little bit of sweetness. You can use any color of bell pepper; I just used red for another color in the salad.
- Cherry Tomatoes I like the little burst of juicy sweetness a cherry tomato adds to this salad, you could also use a grape tomato. Even a color mixture is nice here too.
- Avocado You are looking for a ripe but firm avocado so that it holds up when the salad is mixed together. This will add a creaminess to your salad but is definitely optional and can be left out and still have an amazing salad.
- Feta or Cotija Cheese you want crumbly cheese, either of these cheeses is a great option.
Ingredients for the vingerette dressing
- Olive oil is a nice mild olive oil and goes perfectly with vinegar and spices, you can also try avocado oil or sunflower oil.
- Apple Cider Vinegar You can also use white vinegar or red wine vinegar.
- Lime Juice Use fresh lime juice if you can; it will taste better, but in a pinch, the bottle of lime juice will work.
- Jalapeno optional
- Seasoning paprika, black pepper, salt, garlic powder
- Honey
- Cilantro Use fresh cilantro; use as little or as much as you would like; this just gives you the Tex-Mex flavor you’re looking for here.
Fresh, Frozen, or Canned Corn
This recipe is very flexible; you can use just about any type of corn and it will work wonderfully. You want to use around 4 cups of corn, around 5–6 ears of corn, and 41 ounces of canned corn; a little more or less is fine here too.
- Using fresh corn: you can use raw or cooked corn here but fine-cooked corn is easier to get off of the cob.
- Using Canned Corn: you will need around 2-3 cans of corn give or take a little bit depending on the size of the cans. Make sure to drain the corn and dry it on a paper towel before lightly frying it in oil.
- Using Frozen Corn: Thaw the corn fully before using it, I find the best way is to place it in a bowl overnight in the fridge and then drain and dry before lightly frying in oil.
How to Cook Fresh Corn
If you choose to use fresh corn, which I highly recommend, you have the option of using it raw or cooked. I like the cooked option because it helps the corn be a little softened compared to the raw option. Then I lightly grill it for a few minutes to get a bit of a roasted, smoky flavor on the corn kernels.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a little bit of salt.
- Remove the husks and the silk threads from the corn, making sure it is completely clean of both.
- Drop the cleaned corn into the boiling water. Let it return to a boil and then cook for 5 minutes. While the corn is cooking turn on the grill to 350-400 degrees.
- Place cooked corn on the BBQ until lightly grilled on all sides remove and allow to cool slightly.
How to make summer corn salad
- Make the Dressing Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Cook Corn If you’re using fresh corn, follow the directions above. If you’re using fresh or frozen corn, you want to thaw, drain, and dry it out, then fry it in a tablespoon of oil until there’s a little bit of golden color on the kernels.
- Grill Corn brush the partially cooked corn cobs with olive oil and grill them on high heat for a few minutes rotating as they cook until golden on all sides.
- Toss salad ingredients Cut the corn off the cob and add it to a bowl. Slice the bell peppers, cucumbers, and avocado and add to the bowl, tossing the vingerette to combine.
What to serve with summer corn salad?
Just about anything goes with corn salad; it will taste yummy with everything from salmon to steak to grilled chicken to grilled pork chops. It’s a light and fresh salad that can easily be made in large or small batches for whatever you need it for. I like to serve this up at BBQs, potlucks, or family dinners.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you store or Freeze this salad?
This salad can be stored in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I find the left-overs get better the longer they sit with the vingerette on the salad. I would not recommend freezing this salad; a lot of the ingredients do not freeze except the corn. But it can be made in advance if you think you’re going to be short on time.
Is Corn Healthy?
I feel like corn has a bad reputation because it is quite starchy as a vegetable. I can spoke blood sugar level and prevent weight loss when consumed in excess but it is full of fiber, vitamins and minerals so it can be healthy when its added as an addition to your diet.
What can I use instead of cilantro?
If you’re not a fan of cilantro (because I’m not a huge fan of it), you can easily swap it out for another fresh herb like parsley, basil, or chives. The smallest amount of cilantro goes a long way in this recipe, or if you like the herb a lot, you can add as much as you like.
The Best Summer Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cup corn
- ¼ large red onion finely chopped
- ½ large red pepper or favorite color pepper
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ¼ cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1 avocado diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ jalapeno optional diced
- 2 tbsp honey
Instructions
- To cook fresh corn, bring a large pot of water to a boil, lightly salting it. After completely shucking the corn, put it in the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, and then cook for five minutes. Remove the corn away from the cobIf you using frozen corn or canned corn thaw, drain and dry, and fry in oil in a frying pan.
- Combine the corn, cucumber, red onion, tomatoes, avocado, red pepper, and feta in a bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, kosher salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Pour over the other ingredients. Toss to combine.
- Serve immediately.
This looks like it would be great to take to a barbeque, just add the dressing right before serving. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh my gosh. This is one for my summer recipes and I usually have all these ingredients on hand! YUM!
What a delicious idea! For once, our corn is growing really well in the garden. Thanks for the recipe!
This summer corn salad sounds like the perfect item to bring to a BBQ. I love a yummy summer salad and this goes perfectly with some burgers on the grill.
This looks like a fun and different way to have corn. Thanks for this recipe!
The presentation of the salad is beautifully appealing. The dressing looks delicious. I am sure it adds a nice flavor to the salad. Thanks for sharing, will be trying.