Corn and tomatoes are the stars of summer. We need to enjoy them while we can, which is why I love this corn tomato avocado salad so much. It combines summer’s best seasonal corn and tomatoes with creamy avocados, crunchy cucumbers, red onion and jalapeños. Everything is tossed in a zesty lime-garlic dressing. It’s a bright summery bowl of goodness.
My whole family is smitten. I can’t make this corn tomato avocado salad enough, as far as they’re concerned. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s exactly want I want to serve with everything grilled.
The only hard part about this recipe is keeping my kids from grabbing the “corn caterpillars” out of the bowl as they pass through the kitchen.
By the way, “corn caterpillars” is what my husband Eddie used to call long zipped-off strips of corn when our kids were little, and the term stuck.
How to make corn tomato avocado salad
The recipe is very straightforward.
Start by whisking up the dressing. It’s just fresh lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
Set the dressing aside and cook the corn in boiling water for a few minutes, until tender. When it’s cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cob. You can use a knife or you can use a corn stripper. I recently got one and I love it. It makes the job really easy and fun.
Put the corn in a big bowl. Cut a pint of cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl along with half an English hothouse cucumber cut into bite-sized pieces, half a red onion finely diced, and two minced jalapeño peppers.
Cut the avocados last, just before you toss the salad with the dressing, to prevent them from discoloring.
Toss everything together. Season, to taste, with salt and fresh ground pepper.
This corn tomato avocado salad goes beautifully with anything grilled. Here are the dishes I’ve made and loved so far this summer,with corn tomato avocado salad on the side: My Favorite Grilled Chicken Thighs Recipe (3 times), Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, and Grilled Lamb Chops with Indonesian Satay Spice Rub (recipe coming to the blog soon).
The limey dressing and kick of jalapeños makes this salad a perfect fit with Mexican or Tex-Mex dishes, so you could also pair it with this Mexican Spiced Grilled Chicken or these Grilled Chicken Sliders with Chipotle Coleslaw.
And now here’s the Corn Tomato Avocado Salad recipe. If you try this I hope you’ll come back to leave a rating and a comment. I’d love to know what you think.
PrintCorn Tomato Avocado Salad
The perfect summer salad!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 4 mins
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 6-8
- Category: salad, side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients
- FOR THE DRESSING
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 medium garlic clove, minced (1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic)
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt or more, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or more, to taste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- FOR THE SALAD
- 3 ears of fresh corn, husked
- 1 pint of ripe cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
- ½ of a hothouse (English) cucumber, cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into bite-sized pieces.
- ½ of a medium red onion, finely diced
- 2 jalapeño peppers, halved, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced
- 2 ripe Haas avocados, cut into 1-inch cubes (save this step for last to prevent discoloration)
Instructions
- MAKE THE DRESSING Whisk the lime juice, garlic salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking, to emulsify.
- MAKE THE SALAD Boil the corn in salted boiling water for 4 minutes or so, until tender. When cool enough to handle, strip the kernels off the cob.
- In a large bowl combine corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion and jalapeños. Toss with the dressing. Slice and add the avocados and toss to combine. Correct seasoning with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
- The salad is best served fresh but it will keep in the fridge, covered, for a few hours and will still be delicious.
Keywords: corn, tomatoes, salad
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