Fresh corn salad adds spunk and pizzaz to all your summer meals! Use it as a side dish or a condiment (just like you would salsa) to bring flavor and color to your dishes. Make it ahead of time and serve it at any gathering. Because this salad saves well, you can easily pack it up and take it on a picnic, or even on a road trip. Plus, there are plenty of options for changing up the ingredients to customize the salad to your heart's delight.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Things You’ll Need
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3 ears corn (whit or yellow work)
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1 (4-ounce) can black beans, drained
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1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
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1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
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1/2 small red onion, chopped
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2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
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1 cup fresh basil, chopped
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3 tbsp mayonnaise
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1 tbsp white vinegar
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1 tbsp stone ground mustard
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2 tbsp olive oil
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1 tbsp sugar
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2 tsp poppy seeds
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1/4 tsp sea salt, to taste
Step 1: Cook the Corn
Shuck the corn by removing and discarding the husks. Fill a large pot 3/4 of the way up with water and bring to a full boil. Turn off the heat and carefully place corn in the boiling water. Cover and cook until the kernals are tender, about 10 minutes.
Cook the corn in boiling water for 10 minutes. Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Once cooked, use tongs to transfer the corn to a cutting board and allow it to cool. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to carefully cut the kernels off of the cobb. It is easiest to do this while holding one end of the cobb at an angle, while the other end is propped against the cutting board.
Allow the corn to cool completely. While corn is cooling, you can prepare the rest of the recipe.
Step 2: Chop the Vegetables
Halve the cherry tomatoes and place them in a large serving bowl.
Cut cherry tomatoes in half Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Finely chop the red onion and add to the serving bowl.
Chop red onion into small chunks Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Cut the top off of a red bell pepper and remove the core. Chop 1/2 of the red bell pepper into bite sizes. Add red bell pepper to the serving bowl.
Chop 1/2 of a red bell pepper Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Similarly, chop 1/2 of a green bell pepper. Add green bell pepper to the serving bowl.
You can also use just 1 color of bell pepper, rather than using 1/2 a red and 1/2 a green.
Chop 1/2 of a green bell pepper Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Step 3: Chop the Basil
Rinse a bunch of fresh basil under cool water. Place it on the same cutting board you used to chop the vegetables, and give it a rough chop. Discard the stems. Place chopped basil in the same serving bowl as the vegetables.
You can also replace the fresh basil with fresh mint or parsley, or a combination of fresh herbs.
Chop the fresh basil. Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Step 4: Drain the Black Beans
Open one can of black beans and pour it into a colander. Rinse under cool water until the water that runs off of the beans is clear. Transfer the black beans to the serving bowl.
Drain and rinse the black beans Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Step 5: Prepare the Dressing
Add the mayonnaise, white vinegar, mustard, olive oil, sugar and poppy seeds to a small blender. Blend until completely smooth and well combined.
Make the poppy seed dressing Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Step 6: Toss Dressing Into Corn Salad
Once the corn has cooled, add it to the bowl with the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Pour dressing into the bowl and toss well until everything is combined. Start with less dressing and taste test the salad prior to adding more. Add sea salt if desired.
Pour dressing over corn salad Image Credit: Julia Mueller
Serve corn salad with entree of choice!
Serve fresh corn salad with your favorite entree. Image Credit: Julia Mueller
