Showcase your favorite late summer produce with this Tomato Basil Corn Salad! It’s a simple medley of fresh corn, cherry tomatoes, aromatic fresh basil, olive oil, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Enjoy this bright salad as a side dish, as a light lunch, or bring it with you to a picnic.
If you love corn salads as much as we do, don’t miss our Creamy Corn Salad and Avocado Corn Salad!
Tomato Basil Corn Salad
Tomato Basil Corn Salad is summer simplicity at its absolute finest. Sweet fresh corn has never been so enticing! It’s tossed together with juicy cherry tomatoes, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and plenty of delicious basil. There are also a few other ingredients in the mix that help those stars of the show lend even more flavor into each and every bite.
This simple Tomato Basil Corn Salad is one of my favorite end of summer recipes. It invokes feelings of picnics, garden strolls, and all of those bright feeling you can only get with ingredients like basil, corn, and tomatoes.
One of the best parts about making this salad is just how easy it is to whip up. Simply cook your corn, cut it off of the cob, and toss it together with the other ingredients. Voila! You now have a salad that will have everyone at the potluck coming back for a second bite.
How to Make Tomato Basil Corn Salad
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Corn – For the best results, use fresh corn on the cob.
Cherry Tomatoes – Grape tomatoes also work just fine in this easy recipe.
Shallot – Shallots have a delicate, slightly sweet flavor, which makes them a perfect addition to this salad.
Basil – Use fresh basil! Fresh basil won’t just yield the best flavor for this summery salad, it also gives the dish a wonderful aromatic element.
Olive Oil – you can use avocado oil instead, if preferred.
Lemon Juice – it’s best to use fresh squeezed lemon juice. If you want more lemon flavor, you can even add a little lemon zest.
Salt – try to use kosher coarse or sea salt.
Black Pepper – Freshly cracked black pepper will yield the best flavor.
Cooking Directions:
First things first, cook the corn:
If you’re cooking corn in a pot: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Before you toss the corn into the pot, make sure you remove the husk and all of the silk threads.
Once the water reaches a rolling boil, lower the heat to medium low and add your husked corn. Cover the pot and let the corn cook for about 10 minutes. Once it’s tender, remove the corn from the pot and let it cool.
Alternately, you can grill your corn instead: Clean the grate on your grill and create two different temperature zones. Prior to cooking, cut the silk whiskers sticking out of the top of the corn husk, but leave the rest of the corn still in the husk.
Lay the corn on the grill and cook for 13-15 minutes, turning it every 3-4 minutes. After that, remove the corn from the grill and carefully, using tongs or heat-proof gloves, take off the husk and the silk. Brush the husked corn with some oil and place back on the grill. Close the top of the grill and continue to cook for a few more minutes, turning a quarter of the way every couple of minutes.
Grilled corn on the cob makes a delicious corn salad with addition of smoky flavor!
Cut the corn off of the cob:
Stand the cooked corn up in a large bowl or a rimmed baking dish, cut side down. Use a sharp knife to slice the kernels off from top to bottom, close to the part where the kernels attach to the cob. Repeat this process all the way around until all of the kernels have been removed.
Mix the salad:
Prepare your ingredients while the corn is cooling down. Chop the tomatoes into halves or fourths, slice the shallots, mince the basil, and squeeze your lemon juice.
Once your corn is cooled off to room temperature, combine everything in a mixing bowl and serve!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make Tomato Basil Corn Salad ahead of time?
Yes, but not too far ahead of time. You can make it a couple hours before you plan on serving it, but not much more or the vegetables will start to get soggy.
If you need to, cook the corn the day before and store it in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator. It will take about 10 minutes to prepare the salad with cooked corn.
Can I mix in any other vegetables?
This is a simple, straight forward salad meant to feature tomatoes and basil. If you wish, you can add bell peppers or even grilled vegetables like zucchini and summer squash. If you do add some more vegetables, you will need to increase the amounts of basil, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
Tomato Basil Corn Salad Recipe
Tomato Basil Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 4 corn on the cob
- 10-12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 1 shallot
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- coarse salt
- black pepper
Instructions
To Cook Corn:
- Heat up a large pot of water over medium-high heat and season it generously with salt. Make sure to take off the husk and all the silk threads from the ears of corn before cooking.
- Once water starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and add corn. Cover the pot and let corn cook for about 10 minutes, until tender.
- Take all the corn out onto a cutting board and let it cool enough to be handled.
Cut Corn Off the Cob:
- To cut corn kernels off the cob, stand corn up in a large mixing bowl cut side down. Slice the kernels off with a sharp knife from top to bottom, close to the part where kernels attach to the cob. Turn the ear of corn and repeat slicing the kernels off all the way around.
Make Corn Salad:
- While corn is cooling off, chop tomatoes in half or in fours and slice the shallot thinly. Mince basil and squeeze out fresh lemon juice.
- Once corn kernels are ready, mix everything together in a mixing bowl and serve!
Nutrition
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