Editor's Desk 
This Avocado and Corn Salad has a bright easy-to-make lime and shallot dressing that tastes like a summertime with every bite!
News Desk
8 minutes read
This post was sponsored by California Grown. I was compensated for this post and developing this recipe. However, all opinions below are my own.
I’m always thrilled to be invited to the California Grown events each year. In the past I’ve explored the San Luis Obispo area which inspired my Strawberry Rhubarb Slab Pie, went to Santa Cruz which had me making a Cherry Rhubarb Crisp, and visited the Temecula valley which got me to develop a Blueberry Rhubarb Pie. Yes, there’s a rhubarb theme to my California Grown trips! Ha! But this time, a visit to an avocado farm and a strawberry u-pick farm in Ventura County had me reaching for avocados! With summer in full swing, I made this awesome avocado and corn salad, which is basically like deconstructed guacamole, and tasted like pure summertime with every forkful.
This year’s agricultural trip started at Midtown Ventura Farmers market where we perused the awesome vendors to buy ingredients for a fruit and cheese grazing board workshop that my friend Sarah from The Delicious was going to lead. I was immediately smitten with the mulberries (one of my favorite berries) as well as the cute short and stubby carrots. The Midtown Ventura Farmers Market is a market match program with Cal Fresh (SNAP) which matches dollar for dollar for Cal Fresh customers, helping them stretch their benefits and giving them wider access to fresh, locally grown produce.
From the farmers market we headed to Kimball Ranch where we met Rachael Laenen, the first woman to be elected chair of the California Avocado Commission. It’s a beautiful ranch and she told us all about the ins and outs of growing avocados, including how they need to be pollinated but bees don’t necessarily love avocado flowers so you really need to encourage them to work the trees. We then bounced over to Prancer’s Farm where I picked strawberries (half of which might have actually ended up in my mouth, not in the container they gave me) and made friends with various cute and cuddly creatures on their petting farm.
The next day Sarah led us all on a workshop with making a cheese and fruit grazing board and though it wasn’t a contest, I clearly won because I was able to pack in the most fruit and cheese onto my board. It was the heaviest of all the boards that were made and I have NO. REGRETS. I grazed heavily on the board, as I drove to Los Angeles to catch my flight back to San Francisco.
Once I got back home, I received an awesome box of avocados from the California Avocado Commission, which meant avocado for days! I ate a mad amount of guacamole, avocado toast and even made some avocado lime ice cream (recipe coming soon)! But this avocado and corn salad has been on rotation since that trip. It’s super easy to make, and absolutely satisfying as a taste of summertime.
How to make this salad
This recipe is inspired by a cucumber and corn salad I get at my local grocery store BiRite Market. The original recipe is featured in their cookbook Eat Good Food. I swapped out the cucumbers for avocados and went free form with the lime dressing though, freely adapting and adjust the recipe as I tend to do.
All that said, it super easy to make. First cook two ears of fresh corn and set aside to cool. Make the dressing by zesting and juicing a lime, then whisk in olive oil, minced shallots, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper to make the dressing.
Cut off the kernels of the cooled corn, and add into some chopped red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, minced serrano (or jalapeno peppers), and some coarsely chopped avocados. Mix with some chopped cilantro and toss with the dressing!
How to cook corn on the cob
This recipe calls for cooked corn on the cob. I find the easiest method to quickly cook corn is using the microwave. But you can cook the corn a different method if you wish! Here’s a few options
- Microwave: Place both corn on the cobs in the microwave (with husk leaves still on). Cook at high power for three minutes. Then carefully flip the corn over (it will be hot, so use tongs or an oven mitt) and cook for an additional two to three minutes. Let cool, then husk (the hair should pull off easily with this method).
- Boiling: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Remove the husks and place the bare corn cobs in the boiling water carefully. Cook for three to five minutes. Remove the corn from the water and let cool before cutting it off the cob.
- Grilled corn: If you have the grill fired up already, you can grill the corn! I like to grill the corn directly, with the husk leaves pulled off. Cook on a hot grill for about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating every two to three minutes until the kernels are charred to your liking. The hot grill lends a slight smokiness to the corn, which is awesome in this recipe!
- Frozen or Canned Corn: If you are feeling lazy or corn is out of season, feel free to use canned or frozen corn. Use about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of frozen or canned corn in place of the two ears of fresh corn.
How to Store this Salad
This salad is best eaten immediately or within two to three hours of being made. I don’t recommend making this salad too far ahead of time, as it the avocados start to brown (even with the lime in the dressing). But if you have any leftovers, just store it covered or in an airtight container, in the fridge overnight. Eat the remaining leftovers the next day.
If you like this avocado and corn salad recipe, here are some other fantastic recipes using California grown produce:
- Peach and Blackberry Slab Pie
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
- Easy Raspberry Buttermilk Cake
- Ginger Peach Muffins
- Caramel Peach Upside Down Cake
- Apricot and Blueberry Cake
- Roasted Delicata Squash and Brussel Sprouts
- Green Shakshuka
- Cauliflower Risotto with Wild Mushrooms
- Fig and Blackberry Tart with Walnut Crust
Avocado and Corn Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Juice and zest of one lime about 2 tablespoons of juice, 2 teaspoons of zest
- 1 large shallot minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Salad
- 2 ears of corn cooked and cooled (see note below and section above for more details)
- 1/2 pound cherry or grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 medium serrano pepper can substitute jalapeno for less heat or half a bell pepper for no heat
- 1/2 small red onion chopped
- 2 ripe large avocados cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or flat leaf parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Make the dressing by whisking together the olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, shallt, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a glass measuring cup. Set aside.
-
Cut the kernels off the ears of corn and add them to a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, serrano peppers (or whatever pepper you’re using), red onion, avocado chunks, and cilantro/parsley. Drizzle the dressing over the salad, while you gently toss it with a silicone or rubber spatula.
Taste the salad and add more salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
The easiest way to cook the corn is to place the corn (with the husks still on) in a microwave and cook for 3 minutes on high. Then flip the corn over, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Let the corn cool in the microwave until you’re ready to cut the kernels off. Once cooled, the husk and hairs will peel right off.
I have more cooking methods and details in a section above.
Nutrition
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