Corn Salad

This classic corn salad is all the flavors of summer in a bowl! It's full of fresh summer produce: crispy cucumbers, sweet corn, and juicy tomatoes all tossed in a simple, light vinaigrette.

About This Recipe

It doesn't get any fresher than corn salad... This whole recipe will make you feel as if you've just gotten back from the farmer's market with the best produce of the season. It's bright, crisp, and so summer-y!

This recipe is especially popular for parties, potlucks and barbecues because it can be made ahead of time and is easy to transport. You can make it for your next get-together or save it for when you need a quick side dish for a weeknight dinner.

Ingredient Notes

Here's a few popular ingredient additions and substitutions for this recipe:

Corn: this recipe calls for fresh corn but any type of corn can be used: canned, frozen, or grilled.

Tomatoes: grape or cherry tomatoes can be substituted.

Cheese: instead of feta cheese you could swap chopped mozzarella.

Vinegar: use your preferred type of vinegar: white, red wine, white wine, or apple cider vinegar are all tasty.

Lemon juice: lime juice can be substituted or leave this out and add an additional tablespoon of vinegar.

Honey: swap this out for your favorite sweetener like sugar, agave, etc. Add more or less depending on how sweet you want your salad.

Tips for This Recipe

Don't overcook your corn

For this recipe you want your corn cooked and tender but not overcooked. It's better to slightly undercook the corn so that it's crisp, rather than overcooking it and ending up with a mushy salad.

How to chop your vegetables:

I like to finely dice my vegetables so that they are all a similar size as the corn, which gives this salad a nice crunchy texture.

Also you can save time chopping and get perfectly even cuts by using a vegetable chopper (this one is my favorite)!

Taste & season

Once your salad is mixed, taste and season it to your own personal preferences. In addition to adjusting the salt and pepper you can add more honey for sweetness or vinegar/lemon for more acidity.

How to Cook Corn on the Cobb

Here's a quick step by step of how to cook your corn on the cob for corn salad. For this recipe you'll want 4 ears of corn.

1. Shuck your corn by removing the leaves and silk tassels (the stringy parts).
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, carefully add your corn (use tongs if possible).
3. Boil your corn for 3 - 5 minutes, until cooked. You'll know the corn is cooked when it's bright yellow and the kernels are tender instead of hard/firm.
4. Remove the corn from the water by using tongs or by straining it.
5. Let your corn cool before shaving off the kernels. You can also add your corn to an ice bath to cool it faster and help it stay crisp.

If you try this recipe, I would love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment at the bottom of this page. And if you share a photo on social media, I'd love to see it! You can tag me on: Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

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