Fresh Corn Salad

A few days ago, I posted a detailed lesson on how to make frozen niblets out of fresh delicious corn on the cob. It got me thinking of all the yummy ways that a cook can use fresh or frozen corn niblets, and so I’ve decided to post my recipe for Fresh Corn Salad.

This salad is at its best with very fresh, very flavourful sweet corn (like from my favourite fall farm, Silver Rill Corn). The dressing is very simple; there is not much to the salad, really, so as to let the corn shine. And shine it will, as long as you have the good stuff.

I call this Heidi’s Maui Corn Salad because the recipe was invented on the last day of a multi-family trip to Maui. I had been buying fresh corn and avocadoes (among many other things) at the farmer’s market across the street from our condo. On the last evening of our stay we planned a potluck dinner and I whipped up the salad to use the remaining perishable ingredients in the kitchen. And, thankfully, everyone asked for the recipe. That was a good thing, because now I still remember how I made it and why it was so good.

Heidi’s Maui Corn Salad
serves 8 to 12
This salad is at its best with very fresh, very flavourful sweet corn. The dressing is very simple and lets the corn shine. I call this “Heidi’s Maui Corn Salad” because the recipe was invented on the last day of a multi-family trip to Maui, when I was trying to use up all the ingredients in my condo kitchen.

Salad:
12 cobs of fresh sweet corn, shucked
3-4 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 large ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 large bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
1 large ripe avocado, sliced
extra lime wedges

Dressing:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
zest of 1/2 lime, finely minced or grated 
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 fresh limes)
1/2 tsp salt, or more, to taste
1 tsp dark brown sugar OR honey
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

Instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Drop in the 12 cobs of corn, return to a boil and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.  Use tongs to remove the cobs of corn and let them cool until you can touch them comfortably.

Meanwhile, mix the dressing ingredients together in a small  jar.  Tighten lid and shake the jar vigourously to blend dressing well. (You can also whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.)

cutting the kernels off the cob

In a medium-large bowl, mix together three-quarters of the dressing and all the green onions.  Using a sharp knife, cut all the kernels of corn off the cooked cobs directly into the bowl with the dressing.  Once you have cut the kernels off, use the back of the knife to scrape along the cobs and push all the corn germ into the bowl. (See my How to Freeze Corn post for illustrations on how to do this.)

Add the tomato and the cilantro.  Mix well.  Taste and add more dressing and/or salt and/or lime juice if you like.

Decorate the top of the salad with slices of avocado.  Squeeze a bit more lime juice over the avocado slices to prevent them from going brown. This salad should be served within 4 hours.

Let me rephrase: it should be served to company within 4 hours. The cook can eat it anytime he or she likes. There ain’t nothing wrong with fresh corn salad for lunch the next day!