Husking fresh corn for corn salad says summer is here, the crops are in, and the food we wait all year for is ready to go. While we here in the Nashville area don’t grow our own avocados, we do grow corn and tomatoes and we cherish these two crops. Fact is, around here, try to tell someone you don’t eat corn or tomatoes, and you might just hear the click of a shot gun.
Just kidding, of course, but those words would still muster up some mistrust and a careful observation of your music collection. Just don’t dare say you don’t like Johnny Cash. I don’t care if you’re a rocker, a punker, a rapper, a dead head or a Beiber freak, you better not talk trash against Johnny Cash. That would downright unamerican around these parts.
All in fun, of course, I think we Nashvillians are a friendly people who like our food and especially our cookouts. On July 4th, I brought this salad over to a neighbor’s party, and it was a big hit, even if a few out of towners called it “dip.” Husband followed suit and started eating it with potato chips and I started to think maybe I should have serve it with corn chips, but it was intended to be a salad. Open minded as I am, I started to think, this could be a dip, or if we want to get fancy, a topping for a crostini.
Use Fresh Ingredients for Avocado Corn Salad and a Champagne Vinegar
The ingredients are freshly husked corn, red onion garden tomatoes, black eyed peas, avocado, thyme, basil, olive oil, lime juice, lime zest and champagne vinegar. I’m going to give you a recipe, but feel free to mix the ratio up anyway you see fit. Don’t skip the black eyed peas, though, as they add in a very satisfying texture. Do add in some cayenne pepper; I really wanted to do that, but there were a few non-spice guests, so I kept the heat out.
Did you know you can make corn on the cob in four minutes? Simply remove the corn silk, leave in husk, wash (sometimes there are bugs). Put in microwave for four minutes.It will slip right out of the husk. So easy. We do this all the time, and if the corn was just picked, we don’t even put salt or butter. It’s perfect naked.
As far as peeling avocado, did you know that it’s pretty easy, and it looks cool.
Tell me what kind of salads do you bring to parties?
If you love corn, check out seven ways to grill corn on the cob.
More Salad Recipes from Spinach Tiger
- 10 ears of corn or 4 cans corn
- 1 can black eyed peas
- ½ red onion, diced
- 1 avocado, cut into chunks
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- 1 lime (for the juice)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ black pepper
- Cover each corn with wet paper towel. Place in microwave 3 ears at a time.
- Cook for four minutes. The corn will fall right out of the husk.
- Once cooled shuck corn and cut corn into a bowl.
- Rinse the black eyed well with cold water.
- Chop onion, tomatoes.
- Mix with onion, tomatoes, black eyed peas. Toss with just enough olive oil to glisten salad. Sprinkle vinegar, and mix.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Taste for seasoning to see if you need to add more vinegar or salt.
- Squeeze lime juice over the avocado and mix in right before serving.
You grow the corn in Nashville, we grow the avocados in California!
And we Nashvillians, love those avocados.
Gorgeous…I make something similar with black or pinto beans. People love to eat it with Scoop tortilla chips, but I love it as a salad. At least it’s versatile, yes?
Yes, Wendy, I think it would be good with fish tacos too.
Wow. An amazing presentation. and some incredible flavors all in one salad. You make me want to go out and buy an avocado, just to see if I can peel it like yours.
Beautiful salad, Angela. It’s like summer in a bowl! I’m sure it’s awesome no matter how you eat it.
I almost always eat my corn ‘naked’. This a lovely summer salad and the first photo is great!
What a beautiful salad — loving all the fresh, summery flavors!
This sounds yummy. I love corn and avocado together.
It would make a good Southwestern dip, but a delicious salad as well Angela.
We belong to a CSA and right now we are beginning to get corn. Soon we will have bags and bags full. I am always on the lookout for a great corn recipe and this one seems to fit the bill. I am not fond of black eyed peas (don’t get the shot gun out) and I am thinking I would substitute black beans. Thanks for sharing!
I do love black eyed peas and avocado together or corn and black-eyed peas but never all together! Yeah!
That looks totally lovely Angela! I love corn in a salad and now that you told me how easy it is to prepare in a microwave, I’m starting to wonder if we should get a microwave! 🙂 we kind of made the mistake in our new kitchen to leave out that one machinery, thinking we never really use it except to make popcorn. But now I start to miss it for some things!
I would love this for my dinner today! Looks wholesome and moreish!
Angela, this is a “Wow” salad. It has everything I love about summer in Tennessee.
Really gorgeous and healthy and all things wonderful.
Even though it’s an improper moniker I have always called dishes like this “raw succotash”. Beans or no beans. GREG
Just wanted to let you know that when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. We had it for dinner tonight and the whole family loved it! Thanks for sharing this great recipe! It is a new family favorite.
I can totally see this working as a healthy dip too! It looks so full of colour and flavour 😀
I’m having green chili tamales tonight and your salad would be the perfect accompaniment.