Amagansett Corn Salad
Finished!
The ingredients came almost entirely from the farmers' market.
Even husking corn is fun! (Although husking is great activity for interested children...)
Drying the grape tomatoes, just like we did the blueberries a few weeks ago, gently in a kitchen towel.
Now, the recipe called for two quarts of grape tomatoes. This is a lot of tomatoes. Luckily, there'a trick for slicing all the little buggers in half. First, get two lids (deli or quart container...
Cover them with the other, inverted, lid.
And while applying even pressure, slice between the lids. A very sharp chef's knife works well, as does a serrated knife. You're left with perfectly halved tomatoes in roughly one millionth...
We chose to use the optional quart of sugar snap peas, but we didn't use them raw, instead we blanched them for 2-3 minutes in boiling, salted water. If the sugar snaps are gorgeous and perfectly...
After shaving the kernels off, Merrill was sure to scrape the cobs with the back of her knife, to get all the corn milk out of the cob.
Once the sugar snaps were blanched, we peeled off their strings, and cut them in thirds.
After tossing all the vegetables together, we seasoned (guess how...) and used 4T of balsamic vinegar.
As the salad sat, the corn released some its juices, dressing it a bit. It was lovely.
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Author Notes: Every summer I seem to come across the best of the season's corn out on the East end of Long Island. Rather than do anything to mar the flavor of the sweet, sweet corn I make this absurdly easy, very delicious raw corn salad. Truth be told, I wing it with this "recipe" every time -- the ingredients and quantities shift slightly based on what's handy -- but the below gives you an approximate idea of the flavors and process.
UPDATE: I just remembered one of my favorite additions to this very flexible recipe... bacon! Or even better, transform it from a light side dish to a hearty entree with grilled and sliced chorizo or italian sausage. - Peter
Food52 Review: This corn salad epitomizes the freshness of summer. Sweet raw corn kernels and their milk mix with the bright acid of tomatoes and the kick of red onion; a hint of balsamic vinegar adds a caramel tang. The flavors mellow and meld as the salad sits for a bit. Peter says they're optional, but we added both the basil and sugar snaps, blanching the latter briefly in salted boiling water and removing the strings before cutting them in thirds. We upped the balsamic vinegar to 4 tablespoons because we'd added another quart of veggies -- you can simply add it to taste. - A&M - A&M
Serves 4
- 8 ears of white corn
- 2 quarts cherry tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons high-quality balsamic vinegar
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 quart sugar snap peas (Optional)
- 1 handful rough-chopped basil or flat-leaf parsley (Optional)
- salt, preferably a large, coarse sea salt like Maldon.
- pepper
- Strip raw corn from ears. Yep, raw. You can use a fancy corn stripper or just run your chef's knife down the side of each ear about 8 times.
- Slice all cherry tomatoes in half or quarters depending on your preference.
- Chop the red onion into a large dice.
- If using the sugar-snap peas (they can be hard to find when the corn and tomatoes are available -- their seasons barely overlap, and even then you're likely getting corn and tomatoes from the south and sugar snaps from the North.) Anyway, if using them, cut in half or thirds to make more bite-sized. If you're not using them, and you want a little green for visual appeal, some roguh chopped basil or flat-leaf parsley will do the trick.
- Toss all vegetables in a bowl, along with the vinegar, salt and pepper.
- That's it. Enjoy!
- Your Best "First Corn of the Season" Recipe Contest Winner!
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Corn off the Cob
- This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dish in the Raw
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9 months ago brookeandskylar
Yum. I added just a bit of Fig vinegar too. I love the new way to cut many cherry tomatoes. not a smidge of olive oil, none. Thank you.
10 months ago joycew
i am going to make this again next week, but will grill the corn to put some color and smokiness on it.
10 months ago joycew
leftovers (not nearly enough) for lunch today with a bit of feta added for protein. delicious!!
10 months ago joycew
made 1/2 recipe. excellent. made a couple of changes based on items on hand. no peas, added fresh parsley (will omit next time..not liking so much), chiffonade of fresh basil on each serving was great! added 2tbsp capers and a bit of olive oil to the dressing. looking forward to lunch tomorrow! will definitely make again...and again!
10 months ago Peter
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
Joyce, so glad you enjoyed it. And you totally understand the point of the recipe -- it's really all about throwing together raw corn with whatever you have handy that's fresh. Enjoy the Summer!
almost 2 years ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
1. Gorgeous photo.
2. Delicious.
almost 2 years ago Peter
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
Thanks!
Next time try it with bacon!
almost 2 years ago Kristen Miglore
Kristen is the Senior Editor of Food52
3. Healthy (if you're into that sort of thing).
4. I could go for some right this second, instead of this babka I'm eating.
almost 2 years ago Midge
I made this with sungolds the other night and I'm pretty sure I could live on this salad alone for days. Love it.
almost 2 years ago Peter
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
Midge, Thanks! This is high praise coming from someone with a few Editors' Picks under their belt.
almost 2 years ago dymnyno
wow...I noticed that back when this was first entered there was only 3 entries...how times have changed!!!
almost 2 years ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
So funny. I remember those days .... when we were so worried no one would enter the contests that we'd call/email all of our family members insisting they submit recipes!
almost 2 years ago MisterJuly
Do you recommend any kind of tomatoes?
almost 2 years ago BlissfulBaker
Summer's here! We made this today for brunch with friends. So simple & delicious. I love how the raw corn adds a sweet "corn juice" that creates the perfect dressing with the balsamic vinegar. We included the optional sugar snap peas & fresh basil & were surprised that the basil brought a subtle licorice taste to the dish. This recipe's a keeper. Thanks Peter!
almost 2 years ago BlissfulBaker
PS. We didn't pre-cook the sugar snap peas; we just removed their strings & chopped them up. I love that this salad requires no cooking at all. Perfect on a hot summer day!
almost 2 years ago Peter
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
Glad you enjoyed it. And as yummy as I'm sure yours is, wait until August when both the corn and the sungold cherry tomatoes are at their maximum yumminess. (Though finding sugar snaps by then will be hard. Tradeoffs! Tradeoffs!)
about 2 years ago TheHealthyApple
This looks beautiful; I can't wait for summer corn. Such a lovely recipe!
over 2 years ago boxinghelena
Can you substitue frozen bagged corn when it is not in season? If so, how much?
over 2 years ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
You need 4 to 5 cups. It's worth trying, but can't promise it will work. I'm concerned it may seem starchy. You might want to just cook the frozen corn, blend it with the tomatoes and the rest, and have it as a warm salad. Seems like that might turn out better. Good luck!
almost 3 years ago ENunn
I know this recipe has been up for a while, but I just made it this weekend for a rooftop cookout. It was absolutely delicious and we have enjoyed the leftovers for lunch. Bravo!
almost 3 years ago Peter
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
Glad you enjoyed it and I guess because the first corn and sungold cherry tomatoes of the season are showing up, I made it this weekend too!
almost 3 years ago Whats4Dinner
Serves 4? I'm just looking at the chopped veggies minus the corn and that alone could be a side for 8. Alas, it is delicious and makes a seriously healthy side dish for a large gathering. Thanks :)
almost 4 years ago baragforager
recipe looks great - I think a big wachau smaragd veltliner is simply too heavy for a dish like this (the hirtzberger probably has close to 14% alcohol) - much better would be a younger crisp federspiel veltliner such as 2007 nikolaihof "im weingebirge" (around 11%)
almost 4 years ago Peter
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
Paul-
In answer to your question -- no, you don't have to cook the corn whatsoever. Good white summer corn is perfectly delicious raw.
Of course, that begs the question of whether it's even *more* delicious if you *do* cook it a bit... I leave that to the experts. ;-)
almost 4 years ago paulkog
hmmm. it looks incredibly fresh but.... shouldnt you cook the corn at least a little. Like steam for a few minutes?
almost 4 years ago KelseyTheNaptimeChef
This looks amazing, hurray for corn season!
almost 4 years ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Sounds delicious, Peter!
almost 4 years ago amanda
Amanda is a co-founder of Food52.
I like the last step, especially.