Fresh sweet corn is one of my favorite things about summer. It’s so sweet and juicy when it’s fresh, and the smell of the husks as you peel them back from the cob brings back so many memories of summers past. So when I saw fresh sweet corn on sale at the grocery store this week I grabbed a couple and whipped up this super simple Summer Sweet Corn Salad. It has a medley of colorful vegetables, a little pasta to bulk it out, and a super fresh lemon vinaigrette keeps everything light and flavorful. This is a very flexible recipe and I’ve got a couple modification ideas for you below!
Make it Pasta-Free
I added pasta to my salad for bulk, but you can totally make this salad without pasta, too! Just double up your vegetables, drizzle that lemon vinaigrette over top, and you’re good to go! You can eat the vegetable salad as-is, or scoop it over a bed of greens.
Add a Protein and Make it a Meal
If you want to eat this salad as a main dish instead of serving it as a side, try adding some grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, boiled shrimp, or cooked salmon on top. It’s such a light and fresh dish that it pairs really well with “lighter” meat and seafood.
Can You Eat Raw Corn??
Yes, yes, and YES! Raw sweet corn is soooo sweet, crisp, and juicy. It’s an absolute delight! It adds nice little pops of sweetness throughout this salad that contrast so well with the creamy avocado and tangy vinaigrette.
If you don’t have fresh corn for this salad, I would suggest frozen corn as the next best substitute, BUT just know that it’s 100x better with fresh sweet corn.
Doesn’t the Avocado Turn Black?
Nope! I kept this salad in my fridge for four days and it was still great. On day two there was no noticeable difference in the appearance of the avocado chunks. By day four, they were slightly grey on the edges, but overall still looked great. The lemon vinaigrette goes a long way toward preventing the oxidization that usually causes the color change.
What to Serve with Sweet Corn Salad
This salad makes a great side dish to Quick BBQ Chicken, Sheet Pan Portobello Fajitas, Cilantro Lime Chicken, Garlic Butter Baked Cod, Baked Spicy Chicken Sandwiches, Marinated Portobello Burgers, or BBQ Cheddar Baked Chicken.
Love summer salad recipes? Then you’ve got to try our Creamy Cucumber Salad next!
Summer Sweet Corn Salad
Servings 8 1 cup eachIngredients
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup olive oil ($0.64)
- 1 fresh lemon ($0.89)
- 1/4 tsp dried basil ($0.03)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard ($0.04)
- 1/8 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/8 tsp pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley ($0.20)
Salad*
- 8 oz. pasta shells ($0.63)
- 2 cobs sweet corn ($0.80)
- 1 pint grape tomatoes ($2.50)
- 2/3 lb. zucchini ($0.89)
- 1/4 cup diced red onion ($0.11)
- 1 avocado ($0.89)
Instructions
- Zest and juice the lemon. You'll need 2 Tbsp juice and ½ tsp zest. Combine the lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, basil, Dijon, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley in a bowl or jar. Whisk the ingredients in a bowl, or close the jar and shake until combined. Set the vinaigrette aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Add a couple large pinches of salt to the pasta water, then add the pasta. Continue to boil until the pasta is tender (about 7 minutes), then drain in a colander. Rinse the pasta briefly with cool water, then allow it to drain well.
- While the pasta is cooking and draining, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Slice the corn kernels off the cobs, slice the grape tomatoes in half, dice the zucchini, finely dice the onion, and dice the avocado.
- Once the pasta has drained well and cooled, add it to a large bowl with the prepared vegetables. Pour the dressing over top, then toss until everything is evenly combined and coated in dressing. Season with a pinch of salt to taste, then serve.
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Notes
Nutrition
How to Make Summer Sweet Corn Salad – Step by Step Photos
Zest and juice a lemon. You’ll need 2 Tbsp juice and ½ tsp zest.
To make the lemon vinaigrette, combine ¼ cup olive oil, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, ½ tsp lemon zest, 1/4 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, ⅛ tsp salt, ⅛ tsp pepper, and about ¼ cup chopped parsley. If you do this in a bowl you can whisk the ingredients together, or combine them in a jar and shake until they’re combined.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, add a couple pinches of salt and 8 oz. pasta shells. Continue to boil the pasta for about 7 minutes, or until tender. Drain the pasta in a colander, and give it a brief rinse with cool water. Let the pasta drain well.
While the pasta is cooking and draining, prepare the rest of the vegetables. Cut the kernels off two cobs of sweet corn. I like to do this with the end of the cob in a bowl so they kernels fall right off into the bowl instead of flying all over the kitchen. Haha!
Also dice about ⅔ lb. zucchini, slice 1 pint grape tomatoes in half, finely dice about ¼ cup red onion, and dice one avocado.
Add the drained and cooled pasta to a large bowl with the corn, zucchini, tomatoes, red onion, and avocado. Pour the dressing over top, then toss until everything is combined and coated in dressing.
Finally, add just a small pinch of salt on top, if desired. I like to have a little bit of crystalized salt on the surface of the pasta and vegetables for a little pop of flavor.
Delicious! I made this to go with bbq ribs and it was the perfect side dish. I omitted pasta (since I wanted more of a salad) and added some chopped fresh basil which made it even more summery and bright! I’ll definitely be making this again!
superb idea for summer fruits. thanks for it.
This salad is delicious! The next time I make it I’m going to add a minced jalapeño.
I replaced the pasta shells for whole wheat orzo, replaced the zucchini with cucumber, added feta, and left out the tomatoes. SO GOOD!! Convenient lunch idea!
This was delicious and simple to make. All the flavours go so well together. I had never tried uncooked corn but it was so sweet and really added a nice touch to the salad. A perfect no-heat lunch to bring to work (not so into the shared microwave right now with the pandemic). Thanks for a great recipe!
Since, for whatever reason, raw zucchini gives me heartburn, I roasted the zucchini (a green one and a yellow one). Yum. I went back for seconds, and could have gone back for thirds, but didn’t want to look like an oinker.
This was easy and so delicious! I wasn’t sure about raw corn and zucchin but it was perfect with the dressing! I used cavatapi noodles and couldn’t stop eating
So good!
YUM! So good. I find that cutting corn is much easier if you lay it down and cut rather than having it stand up in the bowl. Much more controlled. I agree with another comment that it needs something salty. I would add feta if I had it, tonight I’ll probably add goat cheese and some roasted, salted sunflower seeds. Leftovers are yummy too! It made about 12 cups for me.
I normally don’t leave comments on recipes, but I just had to let you know how much I loved this! I was surprised by how sweet and juicy the raw corn was – it definitely doesn’t need cooking. The lemon vinaigrette adds the perfect amount of acidity as well. I will be making this again and again!
i try it at home, it came well
This salad is super refreshing and nice for these hot summer days. I’ve never used raw corn and zucchini in a salad! I love learning new ways to use common ingredients. I included chickpeas in mine to add protein and it worked well.
Our garden tomatoes are nearly ripe. I have been craving your orzo salad, but alas whole wheat orzo seems non existent due to covid, same for burger wheat, so perhaps no tabouli either. Definitely trying this salad once the sweet corn is ready at our favorite local corn farm.
Bulgur wheat, darn autocorrect
Wait, so I am a little confused – the corn is raw in the recipe? We don’t need to cook it at all? First time every doing that, so I am unsure if I missed something!
You are correct! No need to cook :)
Thank you! I can’t wait to try this one!
Is the zucchini raw as well?
Yes sure is! If you scroll down passed the recipe you can see the step by step photos and you can understand the recipe process even more. Enjoy!
Thanks!
I made this tonight. I love the surprising burst of sweetness when I bite into the corn, but with the avocado I feel like it needs something like… cheese? Can you recommend a cheese that might go with the sweetness of the corn and mellowness of the avocado?
I would go for feta and maybe add some salted sunflower seeds.
Well this was more then perfect timing. I have 2 years of corn leftover. A couple zucchini ready in the garden and all the rest of the ingredients on hand. You’ve never let me down before so I’ll be making this for meatless Monday. I’ll come back to comment on how good it is, since I know it will be.
Beth – perfect since I notice fresh corn at the market! Thanks for the recipe. I pinned it. Stay well! Barb