Raw Corn and Zucchini Salad with Fresh Herbs

A light, crunchy and cooling salad to serve alongside burgers and other grilled fare. It is just as enjoyable by itself, though. 

I thought I was done with corn after visiting the Sun Prarie Sweet Corn Festival and stuffing myself with 4 ears of steamed corn dripping with butter a couple weeks ago. But, I was watching the Today Show the other morning and Mark Bittman was on the cooking segment showing different ways to prepare corn. At the very end he whipped up a raw corn salad. It sounded so refreshing, crunchy and light. You can find his recipe here, along with a few other corn recipes (the soup sounds pretty good too).

Then as I was looking at Tastespotting today, I stumbled across this recipe for a Raw Corn and Zucchini Salad. I remembered how  awesome Mark Bittman’s corn salad looked and knew I had to go immediately to the farmers market. I biked down to the square and got a bunch of fresh produce (3 zucchinis, 3 ears of corn, 1 bunch green onions and a bag of sungold tomotoes) for just $5. This salad is raw, if you’re going to make it I highly recommend you visit a farmer’s market and get the freshest best-tasting ingredients you can.

Raw Corn and Zucchini Salad with Fresh Herbs (Printable Recipe)

3 ears of corn, husked and kernels removed (Barefeet in the Kitchen has some awesome tips on how to do this efficiently)
3 small-medium zucchinis or summer squash, thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

If you don’t like cilantro, but something else in it. Like basil. Or parsley. And the only reason I put tarragon in this salad is because I had a few stray sprigs of it leftover from making mussels for the cooking class the other night. The tarragon was a very pleasant addition though. If you don’t have or don’t like tarragon, throw something else in.

Guess what. I’m going to another shrimp boil tonight. Yes, that is, in fact, 2 shrimp boils in 5 days. Wish me luck.

From Sarah’s Kitchen, with love