Fresh corn and tomato salad with fresh corn, garden tomatoes, basil, Mozzarella, scallions and a vinaigrette.
If salads could talk, this corn, tomato, basil, Mozzarella salad would yell, “SUMMER!”
It’s what happens when you have a ton of grilled corn leftover from last weekend’s barbecue, and ripe tomatoes in the garden beckoning, “eat me…”
Not to mention the one basil plant that just keeps growing like a hydra. Snip one stem off and two grow in its place!
This is a classic Caprese salad with tomato, basil, and Mozz, that you toss with grilled corn.
We got the idea from a recipe on the Food Network. They use fresh, raw corn for their salad. I love the taste of grilled corn, so we used that instead. I’ve seen similar recipes that boil the corn first. Your preference. If you use raw corn, get the freshest corn you can.
Caprese Corn Salad Recipe
- Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6 to 8
Many recipes I’ve found online for corn and tomato salad just use raw corn, freshly shucked and the kernels scraped off. I prefer it with grilled corn, but if you have particularly fresh corn that tastes great raw, feel free to use it here.
Neither tomatoes nor basil do well refrigerated, so this salad is best made fresh and eaten immediately.
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 ears of sweet corn (still in husks, do not shuck)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 3 cups roughly chopped, seeded tomatoes, or halved cherry or sun gold tomatoes
- 1/2 cup sliced scallions, including light green parts
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 1/2 cup to 1 cup of fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Method
1 Grill the corn: Prepare your grill for high, direct heat. Place the corn cobs still in their husks directly on the grill. Cook for 15 minutes or so, turning every few minutes, so that the husks get completely charred. The corn will steam in the husks. There is no need to soak the corn in water first if the corn is fresh.
If you want some char on the corn itself, remove a few of the outer corn husks first, so there is less of a protective layer around the corn.
Once the husks are completely charred, remove from the grill and let cool for a few minutes. Then remove the husks and silk.
To remove the corn from the cob, stand the shucked cob upright in shallow baking pan or rimmed dish. Hold the cob steady in one hand, and with the other hand use a sharp knife to make downward strokes on the cob, separating the kernels from the cob.
Alternatively, if you have frozen corn kernels, you can use them for this salad (4 cups). Just heat a large cast iron pan on medium high to high heat. Put a layer of frozen corn directly on the pan, do not defrost first. Once the corn has browned on one side, stir and let the corn brown some more. Then remove to cool.
2 Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Adding sugar will depend on how sweet your corn or tomatoes are, so you may want to withhold sugar until the end and add to taste.
3 Toss together the corn, tomatoes, scallions, cheese, and dressing: In a large bowl, toss together the corn, tomatoes, scallions, Mozzarella, and the dressing. Adjust seasonings to taste. Let sit for 10 minutes.
4 Add basil: Right before serving, stir in the freshly sliced basil.
