Fresh Corn Salad celebrates summer's bounty. It features sweet corn, red onions, juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and fresh parsley tossed in a tangy apple cider vinegar and olive oil dressing. This salad is both refreshing and flavorful.
It's a versatile dish with vibrant colors and yummy flavors, perfect for barbecues, picnics, or light lunches.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Fresh and Healthy: Made with fresh corn, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and parsley, this salad is as nutritious as it is eye-catching.
- Versatile: This salad can be served as a refreshing side dish, a light lunch or dinner, or even a dip with tortilla chips.
- Bursting with Flavor: The combination of apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper brings out the corn's natural sweetness and the vegetables' freshness.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need for this Fresh Corn Salad
- The Veggies: This salad is packed with summer's fresh vegetables: Corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, English cucumber, and fresh parsley.
- The Dressing: Nothing fancy here - the fresh veggies are tossed in apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Kosher salt, and black pepper.
Veggie Prep
- I started by shucking the corn and removing as much corn silk as possible. Then, I cut the corn stem close to the bottom of the cob.
- After that, I peeled the red onion and cut it into small pieces.
- Next, I cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- For visual appeal, I alternated peeling the cucumber, leaving thin strips of the peel. Then, I cut ½-inch pieces of cucumber and quartered them.
- Finally, I minced the fresh parsley.
Making the Fresh Corn Salad - Step-by-Step
- I started by cooking the shucked corn in salted boiling water for three to four minutes.
- Then, I removed the corn from the boiling water and immersed it in ice water. This stopped the cooking and set the vibrant color of the corn.
- Once the corn was cool, I removed it from the ice water and patted it dry. Then, I cut the kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife.
- I added the cut corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a large bowl.
- Finally, I gently tossed everything together. I covered the salad with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until dinner.
- Before serving the salad, I tossed it to redistribute the vinegar and oil and sprinkled the top with additional minced parsley.
I served the Fresh Corn Salad with freshly made Southern Cornbread Sticks for a light dinner.
Fresh Corn Salad is a simple yet delicious recipe that's perfect for any summer occasion. It's packed with nutrients, making it a healthy choice for your diet.
The combination of crisp vegetables and tangy dressing creates a refreshing dish that's sure to impress your family and friends. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
The best corn to use is the freshest corn! I used a combination of white corn and bi-colored corn because that was what was available at my local farmer's market.
If you can't find fresh corn, you can use frozen corn. However, the taste will be slightly different. Just make sure to thaw the frozen corn completely before using it in the salad.
I used red onions primarily because of their color. Vidalia onions would be an excellent substitute.
One of the beauties of this salad is its versatility. Add your favorite vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, or radishes.
This salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Just be sure to toss it before serving.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- When I purchase fresh corn, I use my nose to determine the freshness. Fresh corn has a sweet scent with slight earthy undertones. I don't buy the corn if it doesn’t pass the smell test.
- I prefer to use English cucumbers, a.k.a. hothouse cucumbers, in this recipe. English cucumbers are longer and more slender than regular cucumbers. They are typically wrapped in plastic to protect their delicate, thin, smooth skin. English cucumbers tend to be milder, sweeter, and less bitter than regular cucumbers and have smaller and fewer seeds.
- You might think 3 to 4 minutes of corn cooking is hardly worth it. However, don't skip this step. The minimal cooking time is similar to blanching. It seals in the sweet flavor of the corn and makes it super easy to cut the corn from the cob with minimal mess.
Other Delicious Salads
Refreshing salads like this Fresh Corn Salad are perfect for light dinners on hot summer days. Here are some of my favorites.
- Tomato Vidalia Onion and Cucumber Summer Salad
- Classic Wedge Salad
- Classic Southern Seven-Layer Salad (Spectacular Side Dish)
- Quick and Easy Chicken Caesar Salad Wrap
- Southern Fried Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard
- Creamy Southern Coleslaw - Quick and Easy Classic
- Cucumber Dill Salad (Gurkensalat) – A Taste of Hamburg
- Tex-Mex Layered Salad
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Easy Fresh Corn Salad: Summer in a Bowl
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn, shucked and corn silk removed (See Tips 1 and 2)
- 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup red onion, diced (See Tip 3)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half (See Tip 4)
- 1 cup English cucumber, partially peeled, cut into ½ inch pieces and then quartered (See Tip 5)
- 3 Tablespoons (1.5 ounces, 43 grams) apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tablespoons (1.3 ounces, 87 grams) olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon freshly minced parsley, plus additional for garnish, if desired
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add one tablespoon of Kosher salt to a large pot of boiling water. Add corn; cook for three to four minutes.
- Remove the corn from the boiling water and immediately immerse it in ice water to stop the cooking and set the color.
- Once the corn is cool, remove it from the ice water. Pat dry and cut the kernels from the cobs with a sharp knife, cutting close to the cob. (See Tip 6)
- Add the corn, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, one tablespoon of minced parsley, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper to a large bowl. Gently toss to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate. Serve cold or at room temperature.
- Yield: 6 servings. (See Tip7)
Video
Tips/Notes
- Feel free to use your favorite corn on the cob - just make sure it's fresh.
- Depending on the size of your corn, you should be able to get 3 ½ to 4 cups of kernels.
- I used the red onion for color. Vidalia onions are an excellent substitution.
- You could also use diced whole tomatoes in this recipe.
- I prefer to use English cucumbers rather than regular cucumbers in this recipe. They are smaller, have fewer seeds, have a milder taste, and have less bitter skin.
- When cutting the kernels from the cobs, try to keep the kernels somewhat attached for a visual appearance in the salad.
- This salad lasts up to three days when stored in an airtight container and refrigerated.
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