This easy corn and zucchini salad is a light and healthy summer side dish. It adds a pop of color and sweetness to any meal. It can also be used as dip or as a topping for nachos!
We drove for hours to get to it…
When we arrived the sweet smell gently moved through the air and greeted us at the front door.
In college I went to Dorney Park every year for their Halloween festival. Sure there were plenty of classic theme park rides and people dressed up as zombies, but I was in it for the CORN.
They handed us the roasted corn on the cob, drenched in butter and glistening in all it’s glory.
For me, fresh corn adds brightness to any day. And when it’s mixed with a supporting cast of veggies and vinaigrette like in this corn and zucchini salad, it only gets better.
How to clean and cook fresh corn
When making this corn and zucchini salad, you want to make sure that the corn is properly cleaned so that the corn silk isn’t so prominent. FYI the corn silk are those stringy, hair like bits in the husk.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Peel the green husk off of the corn
- Pull off as much corn silk as you can
- Place your hands at both ends of the corn cob and twist from front to back (kind of like wringing out laundry with no pressure) moving your hands toward the middle. All the excess corn silk should fall off
How to keep zucchini from getting soggy
Now that you know how to clean your corn for this summer salad you don’t want to ruin it with soggy zucchini.
Zucchini naturally contains a lot of water, just like eggplant, so you either want to draw the water out or cook it super quickly.
For this zucchini recipe, the steam from the hot corn is what “cooks” the zucchini. By keeping it sort of raw, the zucchini still has a slight crunch factor without the overwhelming raw flavor.
P.S. Zucchini is actually great for baking cakes because it has a lot of moisture. For tips on how use it in baking in this handy guide,
How to Make Healthy Food Swaps That Actually Taste Good!
Ways to use this corn and zucchini salad
This corn and zucchini salad makes a great, healthy side dish of course but it also has some other fun uses like:
- Dip for tortilla chips
- Topping for homemade nachos
- Topping for baked salmon or chicken
This salad would be a great addition to these recipes too:
- 7-Minute Baked Salmon Bowls
- Easy Sheet Pan Lemon Harissa Baked Shrimp
- Roasted Cauliflower and Carrots with Spicy Lemon Dressing
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Fresh Corn and Zucchini Salad
Rate this Recipe:Ingredients
- 3 cobs fresh corn, kernels removed You could use 2 cups of frozen corn instead
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup zucchini, diced I like you use baby zucchini because they're seedless
Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 jalepeno, seeds removed and finely chopped
- 1 scallion, chopped
- 1 1/2 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 1/2 tbs maple syrup or honey
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Clean the corn (tips in post) and cut the kernels off the cob. Heat a pan to medium high heat. Add the kernels to the pan with 1 tsp of olive oil, 2 tbs of water and a pinch of salt. Cover and steam for 5-7 minutes until tender.
- Add all of the vinaigrette ingredients to a mason jar. Shake for 30 seconds until it forms a dressing consistency.
- Add zucchini to the warm cooked corn. Toss until evenly distributed. Pour the vinaigrette on the corn and zucchini, toss and enjoy!
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