Tomato-Corn Salad with Pickled Shallots and Basil
By David Harbilas
Corn is seldom used in salads, and its sweetness makes it a perfect partner to tomatoes.
This also makes a wonderful sauce for grilled chicken or fish, though it is easier to make in a slightly “chunkier” salad, as it is here.
Serves 4
- 4 ears of corn, shucked
- 3 large vine ripe tomatoes, diced large
- 2 shallots, sliced
- About ½ head of a soft-leafed lettuce, like Boston or Bibb
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil
- Extra virgin olive oil
To cook the corn, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop the whole ears of corn into the water. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the kernels are just tender. Remove the ears and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Remove the ears and cut the kernels off the cob with a kitchen knife. Discard the cobs.
For the pickled shallots, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, water, and bay leaf in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, then pour the pickling liquid over the shallots and let stand for 30-45 minutes. In a large bowl combine the lettuce, tomatoes, corn, and pickled shallots.
Toss with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and about 6 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and add the basil and toss again. Serve.
July 23rd, 2010 at 11:58 am
This sounds delicious, David! Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to try it!
July 27th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
Many thanks for your kind words. I think the pickled shallots are what sort of makes the dish. The two kinds of sweet flavors, of the corn and tomatoes, go really well with something vinegary.