Here I present fresh corn salad, the latest raw nibble from my kitchen. (One of these days, I’m going to make something other than salad, but that day is not today.) Fresh corn salad has some spunk, a little heat, and a lot of natural sweetness. I could eat it with a chip, as a side at a picnic, or even on its own. Plus this ancho chili dressing is surprising–smoky, and just edging on sweet. It’s easily one of my favorites.
Plus, this salad made use of the corn our 94-year-old neighbor dropped by our door this past week. “Oh, this is that Zellwood corn,” my parents said to themselves on separate occasions as if everyone knew what Zellwood meant (it’s a city in Central Florida known for its sweet corn). We’re always exchanging the best fruits with our neighbor–a quarter of the sweetest watermelon, a handful of grapes, the juiciest nectarines. There’s something sweeter-than-corn about how effortlessly my parents share food with neighbors. My mom kindled a friendship 36 years ago when another neighbor brought a key lime pie to her doorstep. Ever since this quintessential Florida opener, they’ve been best friends. Even from opposite sides of the peninsula, my sister and I have continued this tradition, sharing raised bed crops, seeds, and even some recipes. I’m starting to see how these rituals build community, not to mention a sense of abundance.
Ingredients for fresh corn salad
- Corn: Yes, this is raw corn! You can eat it as-is, and it’s delicious. Save this for the summer when it’s fresh off the stalk.
- Tomatillos or tomatoes: I used half freshly picked tomatillos as well as some currant tomatoes. You could use all of one or the other. The original recipe called for green tomatoes. If I made it again, however, I might just add all tomatillos. I love the sour flavor of the tomatillos next to sweet corn.
- Cilantro: Of course.
- Queso fresco or Cotija cheese (optional): I had queso fresco on hand, but I prefer the nutty and salty flavor of Cotija. If you’re vegan, trust me, you won’t miss this part. The salad is bright enough on its own.
- Toasted pepitas: Hand-roasting these are best! Just heat a dry skillet over medium, and add your seeds. Stir so that the seeds brown evenly. They take just about three minutes to toast, but make sure you pay attention to the smell here. “Roasting” aroma is what you’re going for, not “burning” aroma.
- Dressing: See below!
- Salt and pepper
The ancho chili dressing
I adapted the recipe for both the salad and the dressing from The Lemonade Cookbook. If you’ve ever been to a Lemonade, it’s like salad heaven! Each salad is different from the next, all are beautiful and intoxicatingly delicious. That’s why they call it “Southern California Comfort Food.”
Left to my own devices, however, I like to do things a little differently. For one, I like my dressings a tad zippier. In fact, I prefer a 1:2 or even a 1:1 ratio between vinegar and oil. I also prefer them a tad less sweet. Especially this dish–I wanted to taste not only the sweet corn but also the pleasant sourness of the tomatillos. Here’s what I came up with, but feel free to add more oil if that’s to your liking.
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder*
- 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed and chopped*
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup white balsamic
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ cup light olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
*How to make ancho chili powder
It’s not that hard. More or less it’s just pushing a button on a spice grinder, but here’s a detailed description anyway.
- Go patronize your local Mexican food store and buy yourself a bag of ancho chilis. They’re dried, but they shouldn’t be cracking in their package.
- Take one large or a few little chilis and take off their tops. Split them open and remove the seeds or any veins inside.
- Rip them into smaller pieces and put in your spice grinder or coffee grinder. Grind away until you have a very fine powder.
- I found that one large chili became a heaping tablespoon of chili powder. I added the whole thing to the dressing.
Growing tomatillos in Florida
About tomatillos
Inside the tomatillo’s tiny husks (nature’s packaging), you find a green or yellow tomato-looking thing. In fact, you wouldn’t be the first person in history to call tomatillos a “little tomato”: that’s literally what the name means in Spanish. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, the Spanish conquerors misunderstood the words in Nahuatl, the Aztec language. In Nahuatl, tomatl means simply “plump fruit.” So the Nahuatl word xitomatl became “tomate” (tomato), and miltomatl became “tomatillo” (little tomato). Long story short: tomatillos have been–and still are–an important part of Mexican and Guatemalan cuisine.
Growing tomatillos
Unlike the tomatillos I find in the grocery store, the ones I’ve been able to grow are much smaller–usually about an inch in diameter, though they vary widely in size. That being said, the predicted “three-foot tall” plants have exploded to at least six feet. Apparently they bloom and fruit as long as they’re growing, although I have a feeling these ones won’t do so well in the humid Florida rainy season…downy mildew is already starting to appear. Most sources suggest you plant tomatillos at the same time you plant tomatoes, and that’s pretty much worked for me: that is to say, tomatillos are best as part of a spring garden in the tropics.
One of the trickiest things about tomatillos, however, is that they can’t self-pollinate. You need more than one plant to get fruits. I, for one, am not going to wait around for beneficial wasps to find those yellow flowers, so I’ve been pollinating them by hand.
When to pick tomatillos
I’ve heard a variety of explanations for when to pick tomatillos, and for me, it works best to see if they’ve filled out their husks and if the husk has started turning brown. Cooking tomatillos brings out their sour flavors, but much to my surprise, I can’t help eating them raw–right off the plant! Some of the tinier fruits are even sweet. They do have a bitter aftertaste, but I find that they go quite well in a salad with another sweet ingredient, like corn.
How to use tomatillos
Fresh corn salad goes with…
- Watermelon Salad with Mint and Watercress
- Pesto Couscous with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
- Baby Bella Mushroom Tacos
- Green Papaya Tacos with Lime
Fresh Corn Salad with Tomatillos, Tomatoes, and Ancho Chili Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A flavorful salad with sweet corn, tangy tomatillo, and rich ancho chili.
Ingredients
Ancho Chili Dressing
- 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder*
- 1 canned chipotle pepper in Adobo sauce, chopped*
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar*
- ½ tablespoon honey
- ½ cup light olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Salad
- 4 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob
- 1 cup diced tomatillos*
- 1 cup halved currant/cherry tomatoes*
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ heaping cup queso fresco or Cotija cheese*
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas, plus more for garnishing
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons chili dressing
- ½–1 teaspoon kosher salt*
- Pepper to taste
- juice of ½ lime
Instructions
For the Ancho Chili Dressing:
- Add the ancho chili powder, chipotle pepper, jalapeño pepper, garlic, balsamic vinegar, honey, olive oil, and salt to a blender. Blend until very smooth.
For the Salad
- In a medium bowl, add the corn, tomatillos, tomatoes, cilantro, ½ cup cheese, ¼ cup pepitas, chili dressing, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
- Right before serving, dress with the lime juice and garnish with extra pepitas, cheese, and cilantro.
- Enjoy cold or at room temperature. Eat right away.
Notes
Tomatoes and Tomatillos: Depending on what’s available to you, you can add mix and match red tomatoes, green tomatoes, and tomatillos. Just make sure you end up with 2 cups total to add to your salad.
Ancho chili powder: See the text above on how to make ancho chili powder from a whole chili.
Chipotle pepper: If you want your dressing less spicy, remove the seeds.
White balsamic vinegar: You can also use any other light vinegar, like rice vinegar, champagne vinegar, white wine vinegar, etc. However, it will likely be less sweet, so you may want to add a whole tablespoon of honey instead of ½ tablespoon.
Cheese and salt: Queso fresco has less salt than Cotija cheese. If you use Cotija, I recommend adding ½ teaspoon kosher salt to your salad. If you use queso fresco, I recommend 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
Keywords: vegan, vegetarian, salads, ancho chili, sweet corn, corn, tomatillos, summer, healthy food, comfort food
