Corn Salad, 3 Ways!
As summer draws to a close, Fresh Corn Salad becomes the stuff that makes picnic memories. Corn is the belle of the summer ball – sweet, juicy and oh, so promising! Enjoy corn fresh while you can get it. In this salad corn takes a spin with cucumber and red bell pepper for a satisfying light crunch. Green onions, fresh basil and lemon juice are all that is needed for this beautiful salad to make your afternoon a picnic to remember.
I love the pure flavor of the corn, cucumber, bell pepper and basil blending together, so this is a cool but flavorful version. (The ingredients for the Tex-Mex and Mayonnaise versions are listed at the end of the recipe if you came for that. The version using mayonnaise is recommended with caution for picnics.)
Notes and Tips:
- Don’t boil the ears of corn longer than 5 minutes. Three minutes will do just fine; you don’t want mushy corn here.
- A vegetable chopper will save you a lot of time and energy, plus make the ingredients of the salad look more uniform and presentable. I used the smallest dice template of the chopper, which made pieces about the size of a corn kernel.
- Small, five-bladed herb scissors are also a big help in this recipe. Alternatively, you can roll up the basil leaves and slice them thin with a sharp knife.
In this salad corn takes a spin with cucumber and red bell pepper for a satisfying light crunch. Green onions, fresh basil and lemon juice are all that is needed for this beautiful salad to make your afternoon a picnic to remember.
- 6 Ears of Corn (about 4 cups)
- 1 Medium Cucumber (chopped small)
- 1 Medium Red Bell Pepper (chopped small)
- 5 Green Onions (sliced thin)
- 1 can Black Beans (15 oz.)
- 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 5 Fresh Basil Leaves (sliced thin)
Shuck the corn, remove the silks and place in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove from water and let cool.
Meanwhile, dice the cucumber and bell pepper. Slice the onions and drain the black beans.
In a large bowl, mix the cucumber, bell pepper, onions and beans.
Cut the corn from the cobs and add to the large bowl, stirring well to combine.
Whisk together the EVOO and lemon juice, then whisk in salt.
Pour over the corn salad and stir well. Adjust seasonings as needed (salt, lemon juice)
Stir in fresh basil just before serving.
- Tex-Mex Corn Salad
For Tex-Mex Corn Salad:
Substitute Cilantro for Basil Leaves, Lime for Lemon Juice and Vegetable Oil for EVOO. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons Chili Powder and 1-2 chopped Jalpeño peppers. All other ingredients remain the same.
- Creamy Mayonnaise Corn Salad
For Corn Salad with Mayonnaise:
Substitute ½ cup Mayonnaise for the EVOO. Add Lemon Juice to taste. All other ingredients remain the same. Garnish with Bacon Bits, more Green Onion slices and Tomatoes. (Caution: this Mayonnaise version should only sit out on the picnic table for two hours, then refrigerate. Food Safety standards would require you to throw it away after 4 hours at room temperature)