Avocado-Corn Salad

Summer dining is all about fresh produce. And because summer vegetables are at the peak of freshness, there’s not much required of the cook. Case in point? This fresh avocado-corn salad, with juicy, sweet kernels of fresh corn, ripe tomatoes, and creamy chunks of avocado, all dressed up with a citrus and herb vinaigrette. It’s the flavorful side dish of the season, and one that you’ll find an excuse to serve at every meal of the day. 

Pick up the following ingredients to prepare this fresh avocado corn salad with herby citrus dressing:

• Avocados
• Fresh or frozen corn kernels
• Cherry or grape tomatoes
• Lemons or limes
• Red onion
• Fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, dill, basil, or a combination)
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper

Once an avocado is cut, the clock starts ticking. At first, avocados add a lovely green color to salads like this one, but with time and exposure to air, the color changes to an unappealing gray-brown. 

Here are three things you can do to prolong the shelf life of avocados in this avocado-corn salad. 

• Toss diced avocado in the citrus juice. Coating cut avocados in something acidic, like citrus juice, slows the oxidation process, thus maintaining the green color for longer. 
• Add avocados at the last minute. To make this salad in advance, assemble and refrigerate, but leave out the avocado. Wait until it’s time to serve before dicing the avocado and adding to the salad.
• Cover the surface with plastic wrap in an airtight container. In the unlikely event of leftovers, the goal is to limit oxygen exposure. Transfer the salad to a food storage container, press a piece of plastic wrap firmly against the surface of the salad, then snap on an airtight lid. Avocados that experience minimal browning can be easily removed or stirred back into the salad.

Yes. In the summer, raw sweet corn can be added to salads and salsas. Simply shuck the corn and trim the juicy, sweet kernels from the cob with a sharp knife. 

If corn isn’t in season, frozen kernels are your next best bet, as they were processed at the peak of freshness. The kernels thaw quickly at room temperature, so there’s no need to defrost before assembling the salad. 

This fresh salad is bursting with summer flavor. It’s the perfect alternative to pasta salad at your next potluck, but don’t sleep on serving it at other times of the day. For breakfast, spoon the salad over scrambled eggs or stuff it into a tortilla for a breakfast burrito. You can also pack it for lunch, adding leftover grilled chicken for a protein boost or spooning it over crisp lettuce leaves for a twist on a green salad.