smoky raw corn salad with avocado
Smoky Raw Corn Salad with Avocado
In the picture you can see I’ve used both yellow and white corn. White corn is oh-my-gosh yummy, and when you can get some, be sure to give it a try. (Please buy sustainably/organically-grown corn and zucchini for sure so you don’t eat GMOs. Better for the planet and better for your own health too!)
Both recipes in this month’s newsletter use raw corn. “Raw corn!” you cry. “Is raw corn safe? Can you really eat corn raw?” Yes, and it’s wonderful. My mother used to take us to the farm down the road, buy just picked corn, shuck it, and we’d eat it raw as dinner on a summer night. If you want to grill yours, feel free.
You can make this recipe more complex – add hard-boiled eggs, tuna, left-over chicken or steak. Add feta, which I did here. Add artichoke hearts. Grill some fakin’ bacon tempeh and add that. Try tossing in beans.
[editor’s note: if you have any fresh sage leaves, fry them briefly in butter or oil, and use as a crispy topping at the last minute. Literally. The. Last. Minute. Any longer and they lose their crispiness].
We have two kinds of smoked extra virgin olive oil, which you will love: Castillo de Canena, smoked over oak wood, and Holy Smoke, smoked over hickory. Both make your food taste buttery and as if you’ve added bacon. Holy Smoke, out of South Carolina, says, “…like liquid bacon that’s good for you!”
Serves 4-6 depending on add-ins
| 2 C raw corn, about 2-3 ears, husked | 2 C lettuce, washed, dried, |
| 1 small-med zucchini (about 2 C ¼” dice) | 2 C chopped arugula or radicchio |
| ¼ C smoked extra virgin olive oil | 1 Tbsp lime or lemon juice |
| 1 Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, cubed | ½ C feta, crumbled, optional |
| 4 cloves garlic, pressed | ½ C basil leaves, chopped or torn |
| 1 tsp black pepper | 1 tsp good salt |
Put a large bowl on counter (large so you can mix easily). Place diced zucchini in bowl. Stand each ear of corn in turn straight up. With serrated knife, slice kernels off cobb and add to bowl. Lay lettuce on cutting board. Move knife thru lettuce in different directions to chop as much as you like. Add to bowl. Do same with arugula or radicchio. Cut avocado in half lengthwise, remove pit, peel and cube. Add avocado to bowl. Press garlic and add to veggies with smoked olive oil (yeah!), lime or lemon juice, salt, pepper, crumbled feta and basil. Toss, taste, swoon. I served this with heirloom tomatoes and olives on the side.