Fresh Corn Tomato Salad

Culinary summer has finally arrived – fresh tomatoes and sweet corn are here!  Besides eating them steamed or raw, this salad is one of my favorite ways to combine them.  Plus it keeps well in the refrigerator and is a great picnic staple.

Another great benefit of this salad is that those family members with braces or other dental challenges that make eating corn on the cob difficult, can eat this salad!

Ingredients and Substitutions

As long as you can eat tomatoes and corn, this salad is allergy/sensitivity free.

One ingredient can make or break this salad.  I suggest you do not make it without Pompian red wine vinegar.  (Or your own homemade raspberry vinegar which I used in the past.)  Several years ago Cooks Illustrated rated less expensive red wine vinegars.  Pompaian came out on the top and it makes a BIG difference in how your recipes taste!  (The other winner was Specturm 365 by Whole Foods, but I have not tried this one.)

I do strongly recommend you make this salad when corn on  the cob and tomatoes are at their  in season peak.  But honestly, I have used both from the grocery store with  good results – just use the right brand of red wine vinegar (No, I am not making any money from them – I should buy stock!!)

While large tomatoes are preferred, if you have cherry or grape tomatoes, use them! 

If you prefer cilantro to parsley, feel free to substitute.

Preparation

The salad calls for steamed corn cut off the cob.  

The first time I made this salad I was hesitant to cut the corn off the cob.  Would it be difficult?  How much time would it take? 

The good news is that with a sharp knife it is quick and easy!   Aim to remove most of the corn kernels without cutting into the cob.  The kernels are caught on the cutting board.  Don’t worry if they stick together, they will break apart as you gently mix the salad.

You get to choose whether you want to cut the corn off the cob before or after steaming.  Either works just fine . . . here are a couple of reasons you may prefer one or the other:

Consider cutting the corn off the cob after it is cooked if

• You don’t have a vegetable steamer that is easy to clean.
• You have leftover corn from dinner you want to use for this salad.

Consider cutting the corn off the cob after it is cooked if:

• You don’t have a frying pan large enough to cook all the corn at once and you don’t want to cook multiple batches.
• You want an easier time cleaning the pot.

Cook the corn in about 1 inch of boiling water in a frying pan for 3 minutes.  Cut the corn off the cob and place in a bowl.

OR

Cut the corn off the cobs.  Place the corn in a steamer basket and steam for 3 minutes.  Place the corn in a  bowl.

While the corn cools, chop the parsley, chives (or green onions) and tomatoes,

and make the dressing.

Combine all the vegetables and stir gently.

Whisk the dressing and pour about 3/4 of the dressing over the salad.  Because the ears of corn and tomatoes may differ in size, it is difficult to predict exactly how much dressing you will need.  

This salad has a lot of liquid – both from the dressing and from the tomatoes.  The juices/dressing are important to the flavor of this salad so I recommend serving it in a bowl with a spoon so all the yummy juices can be eaten.

This  salad takes a few more minutes than just steaming the corn, slicing the tomatoes and  plunking them on the table, but  it is worth it!  Plus if you are lucky, you will have leftovers for a couple of lunches!