Summer Corn Salad
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Let me introduce you to the perfect summer salad: my summer corn salad recipe. It’s quick and easy to make, cool and refreshing, and includes the perfect blend of fresh vegetables and zesty Italian dressing.
Today I’m bringing you what is, in my mind, the perfect summer salad for a picnic or barbecue. It’s cool, refreshing, has a blend of great flavors that work together perfectly, and is a cinch to make. Don’t you just love recipes like that? I sure do!
My summer corn salad recipe includes lots of fresh vegetables (the more the better when summer comes around, I say). We’re talking fresh corn, fresh tomatoes, onion, and green bell pepper. These crunchy vegetables are tossed in zesty Italian dressing and then refrigerated for several hours, so they can really marinate and soak up all that delicious dressing flavor.
That’s all there is to it! A couple of steps and your summer corn salad is ready to serve to family and friends. I love that I can make it in advance because we all know summer weekends can be just a little bit busy!
At the bottom of the post, I’ve included lots of serving suggestions, but this summer salad truly pairs well with any barbecue or grilled meat. Enjoy!
Recipe Ingredients
- Italian dressing
- Whole kernel corn
- Onion
- Bell pepper
- Tomato
How to Make Summer Corn Salad
Chop up your fresh veggies and drain the cans of corn.
Place all of the veggies in a large bowl.
Add in Italian dressing and stir well.
Cover and refrigerate your summer corn salad for several hours before serving to allow flavors to blend.
Enjoy! This can be made up to two days ahead of time to keep life simple.
Storage
Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
- You can use fresh corn, frozen corn, or canned corn kernels. For fresh and frozen corn, you’ll want to cook it quickly in water on the stovetop or in the microwave so it’s nice and tender before adding it to the recipe. Another option is to grill the fresh corn for a few minutes on each side before adding the grilled corn to the salad. It will add a delicious smoky flavor.
- Use either regular or zesty Italian dressing.
- Make this summer corn salad recipe your own with these variations:
- Add different vegetables, like diced cucumber, red onion, chopped avocado for creaminess, or grilled zucchini to complement the grilled corn.
- Add black beans or edamame.
- Use chopped cherry tomato instead.
- Substitute the green bell pepper for red bell pepper.
- Add some fresh herbs, like chopped fresh parsley, fresh basil, dill, mint, or fresh cilantro.
- Before serving, sprinkle it with crumbled feta cheese.
Recipe FAQs
What do you serve with summer corn salad?
Basically, everything goes with summer sweet corn salad. Serve it with your favorite summer main dish, like burgers, pulled pork or pulled chicken, grilled chicken tenders, crockpot beef ribs, or even Southern fried catfish.
You may also enjoy these sensational summer salads:
Recipe for Caprese Salad with Chicken and Avocado
Tomato Onion and Cucumber Salad
Servings: 4Calories: 60.6kcalIngredients
- 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
- 2 medium diced tomatoes
- 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 diced small onion
- 1 cup Italian dressing
Instructions
Nutrition
Calories: 60.6kcalTried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Ghandi
Christy, I have made several of your recipes and have been pleased each time. The Hoe Cake recipe was a real hit! I took that same recipe and decided to be creative. I substituted milk for buttermilk and I cooked down some homemade pear preserves? I sprayed the cake pan, poured the preserves in and put the hoe cake mix on top. I baked it for 20 minutes and served it like a coffeecake. Just wonderful! Thanks and keep the recipes coming.
Janet
That sounds so good Janet!!! I am going to have to try it!!
Sounds wonderful but I wish I had read it before I went to the produce stand where I could have gotten corn for 25 cents an ear! 🙂 I just got back!
Loved the post on Martha Berry! I make this salad with a few alterations – I use green onions, add some “fancy shred” cheddar, and use mayo instead of the dressing. I’ve had it your way too, tho’, and it is great!
I am addicted to this salad. It is lovely and so good even a couple of days later. I make it with frozen corn and it is sweet and yummy. thanks for a great salad.
Julie
Wonderful story about Ms. Berry – will have to check out further on the internet.
I found this recipe some time ago on your site and I made this corn salad for a 50th birthday party then forgot to take it with me. So, the birthday girl got to eat it for a few days. I had no tomatoes so used red pepper instead. It was fantastic. I have a recipe for a corn relish that is actually canned. This is just as delicious and can be made year round by using canned corn. I have since passed the recipe on to 3 people – along with the link to your site
Everyone loves it, loves your enthusiasm and positive attitude and find these emails to be a refreshing point of the day. Keep up the great work.
PS – re reality tv – phoney and they only let us see what they think we want to see. Reality is sitting and watching and reacting with your family and with people in the mall, interactions and reactions with other folks and their kids.
Thank you for being you – I have certainly altered my outlook on a few things in the past month or so that I have been receiving your emails
Good for you getting away without the youngins. The only time I was ever away from my first 6 children was when i would be in the hospital to give birth to one of them, but after my husband died when the youngest was 3 a friend introduced me to a man she worked with, he had 3 boys but that did not deter me from eventually marring him, we than added one of our own. But he insisted on having a sitter and taking me out every Friday evening for a few hours, he passed away in 2001.
I love the corn salad, I make one like it quite often.
Again I say get away from those youngestrs now and then.
Beulah
Christy,
I would be the one giving YOU a hug if I could reach you. You have a beautiful soul and a heart as big as all outdoors, as my granny used to say.
Many times, you bring tears to my eyes by your stories, which I love, by the way!!!
I feel blessed to have found your website and stories I can relate to. Please keep them coming.
I love the southern recipes and especially the step by step pictures; what an enormous help they are for new cooks just learning.
I have more recipes and recipe books than it should be legal ( laugh ) for an old country girl to have and kept telling myself that I did NOT NEED another cookbook but guess what? I just ordered yours and cannot wait to get it !
God bless you and all those you love.