Tomato, Sweet Corn & Basil Salad
This dish is a trifecta of tastiness. It melds three of the very best flavors of summer--juicy tomatoes, crunchy, sweet corn, and fragrant basil. There's not a whole lot more to it than that but the combination is sheer magic.
This dish is a trifecta of tastiness. It melds three of the very best flavors of summer--juicy tomatoes, crunchy, sweet corn, and fragrant basil. There's not a whole lot more to it than that but the combination is sheer magic.
- Carbohydrate 0.0846697749864988 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0034556 g
- Fiber 0.02809 g
- Protein 0.0139730999979998 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0010388 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (6g)
- Sodium 115.6311199996 mg
- Sugar 0.0565797749864988 g
- Trans Fat 0.000148400000000001 g
- Calories 1 calories
Step-by-step
- Bring a pot of water to boil while you shuck the ears of corn. Drop the ears in the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes then remove and run under cold water to stop the cooking process.
- Wash and chop the tomatoes into 1/2-inch cubes. Peel the shallot and mince it finely. Wash and dry the basil and chop it coarsely. Once the corn has cooled down enough to handle comfortably, cut the kernels off each cob and tease them apart by your fingers then place them in a small to medium-sized bowl, along with the tomatoes.
- Mix the olive oil, sherry vinegar, shallot, basil, and some salt and pepper to taste then pour it over the tomatoes and corn. Stir gently to make sure everything is well coated with the dressing before serving
The Raw Produce Paradigm
The ingredient list provides quantities, but omits the historical shift that brought raw corn into salads. Early American culinary texts almost exclusively cooked sweet corn until tender before stripping the kernels for cold dishes. Raw sweet corn retains a crisp crunch that cooked kernels lose entirely. Subbing frozen corn will introduce excess water and alter the starch structure, while canned corn adds unwanted sodium and metallic notes.
Acid and Fat Mechanics
Sherry vinegar supplies a nutty, complex acidity derived from aged Spanish wines. White wine vinegar serves as a direct substitution at a 1:1 ratio, though it lacks the subtle oxidation notes of sherry. Emulsifying the olive oil directly with the minced shallot and vinegar before tossing prevents the acid from drawing too much liquid out of the tomatoes prematurely. Salt the tomatoes separately twenty minutes ahead if you wish to concentrate their flavor, discarding the released water.
Thermal Interruption
Boiling the corn for eight to ten minutes activates the starches just enough to soften the raw bite without destroying natural sugars. Plunging the ears into cold running water halts internal residual heat immediately. Slice the kernels off the cob using a sharp chef knife held vertically to maintain even depth without crushing the individual pods.
