Corn Salad
Serves 6 to 8
This has always been a staple in my mother’s house during the summer, when corn is sweet and tomatoes are at their peak. Vary the herbs and acid to your taste, subbing in cilantro, mint, or dill and lemon juice, orange juice, or rice wine vinegar.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 ears corn
- 2 medium vine tomatoes, chopped
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
- 2 sprigs fresh basil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS
- Remove corn kernels from cobs and place in a large bowl.
- With the side of a spoon, scrape corn milk from cobs into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
- Corn salad can be made a day ahead and stored in the fridge. Remove from fridge at least 30 minutes before serving.
cook's note
Note: Corn milk is the liquid released from the raw kernels when they are cut off the cob. Once the kernels are removed, some milk still remains on the cob. Don’t waste it, since it contains a sweet corny essence that intensifies the flavor of this salad.
How to pull it off: Stripping corn from the cob can be awkward. I see folks slicing down between kernels and cob inside a bowl to catch all the flying kernels, but I find it difficult to get a good grip on the corn unless the cob is on a flat surface. And a 10-inch cob can be hard to hold and slice while using a sharp knife. So, after I shuck the corn and remove all the silk, I break the cobs in half so each piece is about 4 or 5 inches long. These are much easier to hold upright on a counter or cutting board and shave. Bring on the flying kernels.
How to pull it off: Stripping corn from the cob can be awkward. I see folks slicing down between kernels and cob inside a bowl to catch all the flying kernels, but I find it difficult to get a good grip on the corn unless the cob is on a flat surface. And a 10-inch cob can be hard to hold and slice while using a sharp knife. So, after I shuck the corn and remove all the silk, I break the cobs in half so each piece is about 4 or 5 inches long. These are much easier to hold upright on a counter or cutting board and shave. Bring on the flying kernels.
pantry
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