Fresh Corn Salad with Cherry Tomatoes

Although we do have a dedicated garden space outside of our farm office, we always find ourselves wanting more room for the “extras,” the veggies and fruits that we love to eat but don’t grow for market. Generally, these extras always find their way into our production fields, filling in the gaps of tomato transplants lost. Usual suspects include, but are not limited to: zucchini, cucumbers, sweet peppers, eggplant, flowers, and CORN!

This year, our first “tomato garden” included bi-color sweet corn and zucchini

Sweet corn is something we need more of in our summer lives. We anxiously await its arrival and as soon as all the plump cobs are stripped off the plant and devoured by the ear we wonder, “why didn’t we plant more?!”

This year is no exception.

We recently harvested from the in-plain-sight, yet still-tucked-away corn “patch” (it’s not even a whole row), remembered we had a less-visible patch hidden deeper in the middle of the tomato field, next to some rogue peppers, and are now contemplating where we can tuck in some more for a late summer feast (it’s not too late, right?!). But before we move on to the next corn, we must live in the moment and savor what we do have - deliciously sweet, fresh from the field, corn.

One way to do that is by enjoying it in it’s purest form: raw. Don’t worry, we’ve also been boiling, steaming, grilling, sautéing, and roasting it…

But back to the raw corn. It’s such a treat to be able to enjoy fresh sweet corn, stripped off the cob, mixed with it’s fellow summer delicacies (hello, tomatoes), with just a few splashes of lime juice or vinegar, salt, pepper, and whatever herbs you like. Nothing says “summer evening” like a fresh corn and tomato salad, so here it is:

Fresh Corn Salad With Cherry Tomatoes

• 2 ears of sweet corn*

• 2 jalapeños or other hot pepper

• 2-4 scallions or type any type of green, fresh, onion

• 1-2 limes, juice and zest (or about 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar)

• 1/2 a pint of cherry tomatoes

• olive oil

• salt & pepper

• Optional add-ins:

  • Handful of nuts, toasted (walnuts or pistachios are a good option)

  • Fresh herbs of your choosing (basil, mint, cilantro, dill…if you do choose dill, I’d skip the jalapeños and opt for the vinegar over lime juice, but that’s just me!)

  • Crumbly cheese (cotija, feta, parmesan, pecorino…)

  • Croutons

  • Grains (black rice, farro, quinoa)

  • Beans (big white beans would be fun and add a little substance)

*Note: I find that leftover raw corn salad becomes a bit watery once the juices have time to become drawn out overnight (it’s not bad, just not as good as it is freshly prepared)**, so the proportions are geared towards a single sitting for 2-4 people. If you’re going to a picnic or potluck, or have more mouths to feed, or just want to eat a lot of corn, scale up!

**If you, too, find yourself with leftover raw corn salad but don’t enjoy it quite as much as you did the night before, I highly recommend tossing it in a skillet with a goodly amount of butter or olive oil and sautéing just until things get nice and aromatic, almost starting to lightly brown.

Slice the green onions on a diagonal and place in a bowl of ice water to chill while you prepare the other ingredients. This step mellows out the intensity of the green onions, making them more palatable in a raw form. You still get that great onion flavor, but without some of the bite.

Strip the corn from the cob. The easiest way to do this is by holding it upright by the stem end, in a large bowl (cob is perpendicular to your bowl, standing like a post), and with a large sharp knife, cut the kernels off so they fall right into the bowl. Set the bowl aside while you prepare the other ingredients, which you will add to this same bowl.

Deseed and dice the jalapeño, add to the corn. Depending on the size of tomatoes, and your preference, slice each in half or quarters; add to corn. Now for the lime: start by zesting one and then juicing it, then add to the corn mixture. Drain and add the scallions, toss everything together and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you are adding any extra ingredients, add them in now, as well. Add olive oil until everything has a nice shimmer to it (start with a healthy drizzle - 1-2 tablespoons - and see how you like it, you can always add more). Taste again - if you want a little more brightness to it, add in your second lime.

Enjoy!

It’s great with grilled cheese sandwiches, grilled meats, quesadillas, roasted or grilled vegetables, and even with chips, as a sort-of salsa.