Friday, August 19, 2011

Summer Corn and Tomato Salad –A Simple Summer Side Dish


Sometimes I think side dishes are the hardest for me when it comes to menu planning. I can always come up with the main course, but side dishes seem to fry my brain.

This little corn and tomato salad, augmented with sweet red bell peppers and fresh basil, is the essence of summer and so easy to put together. The hard part is finding really, really fresh corn and vine ripe tomatoes. Fortunately it is just the right time of the year for them here in the states.

I’ve served this as a side dish to grilled steak, but it would also be good with grilled pork tenderloin or chicken. Enjoy fresh corn and tomatoes while you can. Summer is slipping away.

Fresh Corn and Tomato Salad
From My Carolina Kitchen

2 cups fresh corn kernels, about 4 ears
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup grape tomatoes halves
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little more for cooking
2 tablespoons good Spanish sherry vinegar
3 – 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Tiny fresh thyme leaves for garnish

Add a couple of dashes of extra-virgin olive oil to a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat on the stove. Add the corn and bell pepper and sauté about 4 – 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Don’t overcook. You want them to retain their crunch. Remove from the heat and put in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients except thyme leaves and stir. Garnish with fresh thyme. Serves 4.

I am linking this to:
La Bella Vita’s Fresh Food Friday
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable

So take your appetite on over and have a look. You’re guaranteed to come away hungry, and don’t say I didn’t warn you.

38 comments:

  1. What a beautiful and temptingly tasty dish! I trimmed back the basil last evening and have some very aromatic fresh leaves... off to the little market to find the best tomatoes... merci, mon amie!

    Bises,
    Genie

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  2. Tomatoes and corn, the essence of summer. Have a great weekend.

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  3. You really are the queen of salads:) I enjoy reading about every recipe..

    Did you get a lot of ideas in the South Of France?

    :)

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  4. This is the PERFECT recipe for New Jersey-ians like me, right at this very moment. I will be so sad to see the corn, and tomatoes go.. GREAT way to showcase them.

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  5. Love this salad Sam. I just commented on Larry's blog that I'm craving a good grilled steak and I believe I've found the perfect salad to serve with it tomorrow night.

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  6. Love this dish! I have a plethora of tomatoes and corn on the way. I'll be making this dish very soon. Great idea!

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  7. What a great salad, Sam. I can't get enough corn and tomatoes and I love the idea of serving them over grilled steak. Mouthwatering.

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  8. So gorgeous. You make your dishes look so appealing with the colors and textures and leave me wanting more! Love the idea of having a light corn salad with steak!

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  9. Sam, every recipe you present is gorgeous and delicious and I want to make them all.
    I love how fresh and direct you cook! Lots of great simple flavors beautiful and thoughtfully put together. Of course, you will find this one ON THE MENU too!
    Have a wonderful weekend, my friend!
    Yvonne

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  10. And I come up with side dishes and haven't a clue as to the main dish! Loving this - it is, after all, corn and tomato season here. Time to enjoy before it goes away! Perfect!

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  11. I always forget to make corn salads for some reason, and I really love them! Yours looks delicious!

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  12. Wonderful -- I think I'll pair it with skirt steak!

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  13. Great looking dish Sam - the beef looks perfect and your photographer did a super job as usual.

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  14. We have all of the ingredients for this side dish at their freshest right now. I love the combination of flavors.

    I just read your comment re Patricia Wells on Val's blog and realize that my cookbook collection is far from complete. Do you have a favorite cookbook of Patricia's that I should start with?

    Best,
    Bonnie

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  15. This is a perfect side for this time of the year, sam. Simple and delicious.

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  16. Oh dear, another recipe I am going to have to try before summer's corn and tomatoes go away. Love that it is all ingredients I have on hand!

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  17. Simple indeed, but oh so scrumptious!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  18. Sam I love corn and tomatoes, and this look delicious! gloria

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  19. I just had dinner and I would love to put a fork in that beautiful salad. Your steak is beautiful done too :)

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  20. UPDATE! I so loved this idea, the combination of corn and tomato perked on my "back burner" all afternoon. I adapted it to our Mexican fare this evening. Instead of basil, I used cilantro and a dab of oregano. I added some sweet onion in the corn saute. What a delicious idea - THANK YOU!

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  21. Love the idea of adding tomatoes to corn. Anxious to try this new side dish full of goodness; great photo.
    Rita

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  22. Such a lovely looking salad . . . and serving it over that steak: perfect! Those little thyme leaves make the salad look all that more appealing.

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  23. I'm visiting from Seasonal Saturday. I noticed we both linked a tomato and corn salad this week, but the recipes are very different. Mine uses raw corn. Love your version and will try it out. . Check out mine if you get a chance.
    http://glutenfreewithjudee.blogspot.com/2011/08/summer-tomato-and-corn-salad.html tomato and corn

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  24. What a glorious summer side dish! I've seen several recipes today with fresh corn and I can't wait to make them - including yours!

    Happy cooking!

    Mary

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  25. Wonderful and as colorful as a spring garden.

    And, best of all, it looks so do-able.

    Thanks for this,

    Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green island

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  26. That's a really beautiful salad. I love its simplicity.

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  27. Mouthwatering from the moment one sets eye on the picture and even more so after reading the recipe!
    Rosemary's idea of using cilantro is also great (I love cilantro). Thank you for sharing this very summery food treasure!

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  28. P.S.:
    I noticed your image of the Grand Hotel Nord-Pinus in Arles: I sat at the table left of the entrance with friends and enjoyed the late afternoon breeze there last August.

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  29. Oopsie!
    Sorry, the cilantro was Vickie's idea. My apologies.

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  30. This looks so great, and your photo with the steak has got my mouth watering. I've got lots of heirloom tomatoes sitting around looking for something to do...I will have to try this!

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  31. looks wonderful love your summer dishes

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  32. I’ll try your recipe as I still have some little red peppers. I created two stir-fry recipes with the red peppers and they tasted good. My figs are ripe and ready – I have already made 33 jars of jam and more figs are waiting in a basket and on the tree so I have not done too much cooking.

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  33. What a gorgeous combination of my two favorite Summer salads! Looks wonderful with steak - the perfect meal to end the season!

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  34. Sam, Guy and I love fresh corn and tomato salad. I make one similar to yours and find it so refreshing in the summer.

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  35. I am a big fan of corn...this salad, so simple yet so tasty and colorful. Love the idea of how you serve.
    Hope you have a wonderful week ahead Sam :-)

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  36. A perfect summer salad, goes so nicely with the grilled steak!

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  37. i love how pretty this salad looks:) love all those summery colors and flavors!

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  38. Holy guacamole, that looks FANTASTIC Sam! Sheer perfection on a plate. The steak looks great but the salad makes it into a meal. I would be thrilled to put this on a warm tortilla and devour it.

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