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Corn Salad with Avocado

Corn salad with avocado featuring charred sweet corn kernels and creamy avocado chunks tossed with vibrant red onion, cherry tomatoes, and cilantro. A bright lime-honey dressing ties it all together for a fresh summer corn salad texture and flavor.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320

Ingredients
  

corn salad base
  • 4 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 avocados ripe, diced
  • 0.5 red onion finely diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 1 jalapeño seeded and minced
lime-honey dressing
  • 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbsp lime zest
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 0.5 tsp cumin
  • 1 salt to taste
  • 1 cracked black pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Char the corn
  1. Melt the butter in a cast iron skillet over high heat; add corn and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes until blistered and charred in spots, then stir and cook 2 minutes more until hot. You should see browned, charred edges on the kernels before removing the skillet.
  2. Transfer the charred corn to a cool surface and let it cool while you prepare the dressing and chop the remaining ingredients.
Make the lime-honey dressing
  1. Whisk together fresh lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, honey, cumin, salt, and cracked black pepper until combined and smooth. Stop when no honey streaks remain and the dressing looks glossy.
Toss and serve
  1. Combine the charred corn, red onion, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeño in a large bowl. Mix gently so the vegetables are evenly distributed without crushing the tomatoes.
  2. Pour the lime dressing over the salad and toss to coat thoroughly. The corn should look lightly glossy and the dressing should cling to the onions and tomatoes.
  3. Fold in diced avocados gently to keep the pieces intact. Stop mixing as soon as the avocado is coated to avoid mashing.
  4. Taste and adjust with more lime juice or salt, then serve immediately or within 1 hour. The salad is best when the avocado is still bright and creamy.

Notes

Pro tip: cool the charred corn before dressing so the avocado stays green and the salad doesn’t turn watery. Store in the refrigerator up to 1 day; best texture is same-day. Freezing is not recommended. For a dairy-free swap, use olive oil instead of butter for charring (follow the same cook times).