Summer Corn Salad

This is one of those recipes that's 100% reliant upon the natural flavors of the ingredients we're using. We're not hiding behind loads of spices or dressings or other typical flavoring agents. We're letting the best of summer's fresh produce really shine in this recipe.

So, let's talk corn. There is nothing quite like fresh corn on the cob when it's in season. Those sweet, crunchy corn kernels are practically all the flavor we need in this salad. I like to roast my corn while it's still in the husk before cutting the kernels off the cob to just slightly soften up the corn. But, you can totally skip that step and serve the corn raw in this salad. Or, if you're making this salad outside of the summer season, you can always thaw some frozen corn which is the closest you'll be able to get to sweet summer corn.

To our corn, we're also going to add some fresh tomatoes, some diced cucumber, some sliced red onion, a diced avocado, and some fresh microgreens. When choosing microgreens for this salad, I'll typically use either pea or radish microgreens. Pea microgreens add a sweetness to the salad that mimic sugar snap peas, while radish microgreens add a spicy, peppery note just like a fresh radish. Either way, use whichever you're in the mood for. Or better yet, mix it up and use them both.

Once we have our veggies mixed together, you'd think it'd be time to make a dressing. But, we're not going to do that. We're going to give the salad a squeeze of lime juice along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Then, we're going to add in the secret ingredient of this salad: capers.

The thing about this salad is that we're using enough naturally “wet” ingredients like the juicy tomatoes and cucumbers that we don't actually need a dressing. In fact, when I'm making a small batch of this salad for myself, I don't even add the lime juice. The lime is really just there to help protect the avocado from browning too quickly. It's those magical capers that add that tangy, briny quality that mimics the tanginess you'd get from a vinaigrette without having to weigh down the salad.

It's not only delicious, it's pretty darn genius if I do say so myself.

This salad is the ultimate definition of fresh. Even when it's not prime produce season in the summer, the combination of these fresh veggies mixed with that sharp onion and tangy capers makes for an absolutely divine bite. You have sweet, acidic, crunchy, tangy, and creamy hitting you with every single bite. And, we 100% have nature to thank for that. It's as simple and basic as we can get!

The one thing to note is that this salad is best served fresh. Though we're not officially dressing the salad, we are using those wetter ingredients that we talked about earlier. So, if the salad sits for an extended period of time, those natural juices will extract making things a smidge soggier. Though the flavor isn't impacted, texture is equally as important. So, prep and dice your veggies in advance, but wait until you're ready to serve before you toss everything together.

Okie dokes! That's all I've got for today. I hope you guys love this big ol' bowl of summer sunshine!

Please enjoy! And, let's eat!