[Recipe] Summer Corn and Tomato Salad, Two Ways | Hanging on to Summer

“Up from the meadows rich with corn,
Clear is the cool September morn….”

— John Greenleaf Whittier

I’m having a hard time letting go of summer this year. I’m hanging on with all my might and don’t want to loosen my grip.

To those of you who know me well, this confession might seem out of character for me. After all, I am that person who can’t tolerate being outside when the mercury soars much past 80 degrees, especially if it’s humid. And let’s not forget the bugs… and the allergies…. And yet, as I turned the calendar to September and my boys headed back to school, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to summer. It’s not that I don’t love fall—it’s actually my favorite season—it’s just that I wasn’t “done” with summer yet. It went by much too quickly, and I wanted more “lazy,” unstructured days; more time with my boys; more time with my husband; more time in my kitchen; more time at the beach; more time to read and write and garden and travel and visit with family and friends…. But here we are in September, and although the warmer-than-usual days this month have made it still feel like summer, the homework and sports practices and forms to fill out and school functions to attend are telling me that summer is slipping out of my grasp. The transition into September, usually one I welcome with open arms, has been a rough one this year, jarring and rocky, accompanied by an undercurrent of frenzied panic, rushing around, scrambling to keep pace with the new routines and schedules and all the upheaval a new school year brings. Add to that a week where my husband traveled out of the country for work just as we were starting to find our back-to-school groove, and well, it’s no wonder that I’m having trouble saying goodbye to summer.

Not only am I still clinging to the idea of summer, but I’m also not ready to say goodbye to my favorite summer foods. I want more time to eat strawberries and blueberries and ice cream and lobster rolls and peaches and tomatoes and corn. Every year, as summer starts to wind down but the heat and humidity are still palpable, I start to crave sweet corn. It’s really the only time of year that I crave it; most of the year, corn is one of those foods that I generally don’t get too excited about (unlike, say, chocolate). But when we get one of those late-summer heat waves, when the 90+-degree temperatures and oppressive humidity stubbornly settle in for a stretch of uncomfortable days, I am transported back to the leisurely, seemingly endless summers of my childhood, the highlight of which was our annual family vacation to Sandbridge Beach, Virginia. That’s when my parents would pile me and my two younger sisters into our family station wagon, along with a week’s worth of clothes and other necessities, and bleary-eyed but filled with excitement and anticipation, we’d set out before dawn to make the 8-hour drive from northeastern Pennsylvania to the Virginia coast. We’d arrive in late afternoon, eager to get our vacation started yet hungry and a little cranky, so we’d stop on the way to our beach house rental to pick up a few groceries. And when we’d spot a roadside farm stand selling locally grown sweet corn, we’d always stop there too. I can still remember that feeling of opening the car door and stepping out from the cool, air-conditioned car, the heat and humidity promptly and rudely punching me in the face. The air was stiflingly muggy and the sun was blazingly hot, far more intense than we were used to back home in Pennsylvania. Ahh, yes: Welcome to summer in the south!

Once we were settled in at our rental house, my mom would put us to work shucking ears of corn for dinner. I can still picture the three of us girls, standing on the weathered wood deck in our bathing suits, with our similarly attired Barbie dolls nearby, tearing off the pale green husks and picking the silk off multiple ears of Silver Queen corn. Our efforts were rewarded not long after with perfectly cooked, sweet and juicy corn on the cob, smeared with butter and sprinkled with salt, which we quickly devoured sitting around a wooden picnic table on the deck, juices running down our chins, inhaling that distinctive scent of sea air mixed with sunscreen and listening to the squawks of sea gulls flying overhead: a perfect summer day by any measure.

Besides those annual week-long vacations in Virginia Beach, I don’t remember eating corn on the cob any other time in my childhood. I mean, I’m sure we ate corn on the cob when I was growing up in Pennsylvania, but I honestly can’t picture it. Maybe it’s because we didn’t live near any farms that grew and sold corn and so we got our (non-local, not-quite-as-fresh) corn from the grocery store (which, as you probably know, is relatively unremarkable). Or maybe it just wasn’t as memorable to me as that fresh-from-the-fields sweet corn in Virginia, eaten outside with sand in my hair and without a care in the world.

Lucky for me, every summer just as that inevitable stretch of hot, humid days settles in here in New Hampshire and my craving for sweet corn kicks in, the locally grown corn and my other favorite summer produce, heirloom tomatoes, make their much-anticipated debut at our local farm stand. From early August through late September (and, if we’re really lucky, into early October), the bushels and baskets of freshly picked sweet corn and ripe tomatoes continue to be replenished, helping us to extend that carefree summer feeling just a little bit longer.

These days, my favorite way to enjoy fresh, sweet corn is actually off the cob. As I get older, I have little patience for corn kernels stuck between my teeth, and my two growing boys in various stages of losing their baby teeth would also agree it’s easier to eat corn in a bowl with a fork than gnaw it off the cob. I’ve been making some version of this sautéed corn and tomato salad for at least 5 years now, usually a Mexican-inspired version spiked with cumin and garlic and brightened with lime. Last summer, I made another iteration with a Mediterranean flavor profile, swapping the cumin for fresh basil and the lime for lemon and topping it off with a shower of creamy, salty feta cheese, and my boys couldn’t get enough of this version. So I’m sharing both recipes with you here, but really the possibilities are endless with this sort of salad and you can riff on it many different ways, depending on what’s in your pantry, what flavors you and your family enjoy (or are in the mood for) and what you’re serving it with, and what’s in season (or not) in your area.

Any way it’s prepared, this simple corn and tomato salad is late summer in a bowl to me. If you, like me, aren’t yet ready to let go of summer, then may I suggest you make this corn salad. Even if the locally grown corn and summer tomatoes are no longer available in your area, already overtaken by fall apples and pumpkins, no need to worry: This dish is just as satisfying made with frozen corn and canned tomatoes, so you can make it any time of year and pretend it’s still summer. And if it’s still warm enough where you live to eat this salad outside, on your deck or porch, while wearing a bathing suit and forgetting about work and school for a while, even better. There will be plenty of time for all of the apples and pumpkins, when the sun sets earlier and the winds blow colder and the leaves change color and fall to the ground. I love all of that too, but I’m still hanging on to these last moments of summer. Let’s not rush things.

Mexican Corn and Tomato Salad

 

Print

This simple yet flavorful side dish comes together quickly (20 minutes, tops) and is a perfect accompaniment to enchiladas, burritos, and all sorts of Mexican fare. I’ve also served it as a dip with tortilla chips, as a component in a burrito bowl over a base of brown rice or farro, and even as a filling for tacos and quesadillas. It’s a great recipe for entertaining a crowd too: It can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator overnight and even up to a day or two (just bring it to room temperature or warm it up before serving); I’ve doubled and tripled it for parties and it’s always a hit!

This salad is endlessly versatile and can be customized many different ways. If you like a little more spice, add a (seeded and) minced jalapeño pepper and/or a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes when sautéing the red pepper and onion. If you have extra zucchini from your garden or a generous neighbor (lucky you!), chop one up and add it to the pan with the corn. Diced avocado is also an excellent addition, but I usually leave it out because if we’re having a Mexican-style meal, you can be sure we’re already consuming plenty of avocados in the form of guacamole. However, if you choose to add avocado to this salad, just fold it in gently right before serving.

VEGAN, GLUTEN-FREE

Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen

Serves: 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients

• • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• • ½ cup minced red onion (about ½ of a medium-sized onion)
• • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced small (roughly the same size as the corn kernels)
• • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• • 4 ears corn, husks and silks removed and kernels cut from the cob (about 3 cups of corn kernels) *
• • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
• • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large) (about 2 cups) **
• • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (plus more to taste)
• • ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• • 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and the pepper is slightly softened yet still retains some crunch, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the corn is tender and starts to lose some of its starchiness, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and another generous pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon, or perhaps less if you’re using canned tomatoes). Continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes start to slump a bit and release some of their juices, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly for a minute or two. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro or parsley. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. (If your corn is super sweet, you might need additional lime juice to balance the sweetness.) Serve right away, or store overnight (or up to 2 days) in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature (or warm slightly) and taste and readjust seasonings before serving.

Notes

* Cutting corn off the cob can be a mess-making process, at least in my experience, with corn kernels scattered across the kitchen counter and spilling onto the floor. The method I’ve found that works the best to help contain the mess is as follows: Set the shucked ear of corn vertically on its wider end in a shallow bowl, and carefully run a thin, sharp knife down one length of the corn, narrow tip to wide base. (The bowl should capture most of the corn kernel fallout.) Continue in this way, slicing vertically around the cob until all the kernels are removed.

And if you don’t have access to fresh corn on the cob, or you’re just not feeling up to peeling husks and cutting kernels off multiple ears of corn, feel free to use frozen corn, thawed and drained. (A 1-lb. package of frozen corn contains about 3 cups of corn, just enough for this dish.) You can even use corn that’s already been cooked (if you have leftover grilled corn, even better—it adds a smoky flavor that complements the other ingredients quite well); just add it in with the tomatoes to heat it through.

** You can substitute a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes for fresh tomatoes. Just drain any excess juices before adding them to the pan. And if you go this route, it’s worth seeking out fire-roasted diced tomatoes for that smoky flavor element, which plays nicely off the sweet corn and red bell pepper.

3.5.3226

Mediterranean Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Feta

 

Print

This simple side dish is a satisfying medley of textures and flavors that is sure to please the whole family, even the youngest members (my two boys can't get enough of this salad!). The star of this salad is fresh summer corn, which is complemented by tangy tomatoes and sweet red bell pepper. Bright yet tart lemon juice balances the sweetness of the dish, while fragrant basil brings a welcome freshness and feta cheese adds a creamy, salty bite. It’s a great late-summer potluck dish and a perfect accompaniment to all sorts of grilled fare. It even works well as a dip, scooped up with crunchy pita chips. And although this salad is so, so good with local sweet corn fresh off the cob and ripe summer tomatoes, you can certainly make it with frozen corn and canned tomatoes and it’s still delicious.

VEGETARIAN, GLUTEN-FREE

Author: Wholesome Family Kitchen

Serves: 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Ingredients

• • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• • ½ cup minced red onion (about ½ of a medium-sized onion)
• • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced small (roughly the same size as the corn kernels)
• • 4 ears corn, husks and silks removed and kernels cut from the cob (about 3 cups of corn kernels) *
• • 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and finely minced
• • 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved (or quartered if large) (about 2 cups) **
• • 2½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (plus more to taste)
• • ¼ to ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• • ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and ¼ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper, and sauté, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened and the pepper is slightly softened yet still retains some crunch, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the corn is tender and starts to lose some of its starchiness, about 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and another generous pinch of salt (about ¼ teaspoon, or perhaps less if you’re using canned tomatoes). Continue to sauté, stirring frequently, until the tomatoes start to slump a bit and release some of their juices, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly for a minute or two. Stir in the lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of basil. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. If serving right away, scoop into a serving bowl and top with the feta cheese and another tablespoon of basil. Otherwise, store overnight (or up to 2 days) in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature (or warm slightly) and taste and readjust seasonings. Top with feta cheese and basil just before serving.

Notes

* Cutting corn off the cob can be a mess-making process, at least in my experience, with corn kernels scattered across the kitchen counter and spilling onto the floor. The method I’ve found that works the best to help contain the mess is as follows: Set the shucked ear of corn vertically on its wider end in a shallow bowl, and carefully run a thin, sharp knife down one length of the corn, narrow tip to wide base. (The bowl should capture most of the corn kernel fallout.) Continue in this way, slicing vertically around the cob until all the kernels are removed.

And if you don’t have access to fresh corn on the cob, or you’re just not feeling up to peeling husks and cutting kernels off multiple ears of corn, feel free to use frozen corn, thawed and drained. (A 1-lb. package of frozen corn contains about 3 cups of corn, just enough for this dish.) You can even use corn that’s already been cooked; just add it in with the tomatoes to heat it through.

** You can substitute a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes for fresh tomatoes. Just drain any excess juices before adding them to the pan. And if you go this route, it’s worth seeking out fire-roasted diced tomatoes for that smoky flavor element, which plays nicely off the sweet corn and red bell pepper.

3.5.3226