Summer could also be coming to an finish, however corn season continues to be in full swing, and we all know tips on how to have a good time, from the easiest way to cook dinner corn on the cob to one of the best instruments for prepping and serving corn.
To have a good time the web’s favourite vegetable, I made a decision to present 4 celebrities’ corn salad recipes a attempt to resolve which are not value one other go, and that are shuckin’ a-maize-ing.
The Best Celebrity Corn Salad Recipes, Ranked
4th Place: Reese Witherspoon
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Reese is a born-and-bred Southern woman, so I had excessive hopes for her household’s corn salad. With roots in Georgia, Tennessee, and Louisiana, I anticipated it to incorporate Southern elements like mayonnaise, bacon, beans, or inexperienced peppers, however surprisingly, it had none of these issues. It turned out to be the lightest, freshest possibility from the complete check.
The recipe—which is credited to Dorothea, Reese’s grandmother—is full of recent summer time herbs like basil, cilantro, chives, tarragon, and parsley, and tossed with a zippy shallot-Dijon French dressing that packs an acidic punch. This recipe was additionally notably the one one within the batch that stored the corn uncooked, letting its sweetness actually shine. Since it’s served uncooked, ensure you’re utilizing one of the best, in-season corn yow will discover if you are going to make this dish.
Leaving the corn uncooked meant this salad got here collectively in minutes, and I like that it was easy, with a handful of elements, a number of of which I may pull from my backyard. Ultimately, this corn salad was tasty and light-weight, however missing in one thing wealthy like cheese or bacon to steadiness out all that acid and tie the dish collectively. That being stated, I did strive dipping a number of tortilla chips on this salad @Bakedbymel type, and it was scrumptious as a corn salad-salsa hybrid.
third Place: Ree Drummond
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I needed to embrace a recipe from The Pioneer Woman herself for good measure. Ree has quite a few corn salad recipes, however for this style check, I went along with her Grilled Corn Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette. The recipe referred to as for grilling the corn, together with candy onion, however I haven’t got a grill, so I used these tricks to get the identical impact with my cast-iron skillet. The charred high quality actually got here by way of and added a stunning depth of savory, summery taste to the entire salad.
The very first thing that occurred to me was that this salad is hearty. Chock stuffed with grilled corn, pinto beans, avocado, and yellow tomatoes (Sidenote: Not positive why Ree specifies yellow tomatoes.), this salad was filling. A few bites in, I used to be nearing full, so I may see this salad pulling focus — and appetites—away from the remainder of the unfold at a BBQ.
I did love the cilantro dressing, which blended up very quickly in my meals processor. Make positive to season and style with salt and pepper as you go; my salad wanted some salt by the tip. The addition of pimiento peppers added a pop of coloration, however I want they introduced extra precise spice (I ended up including a number of dashes of scorching sauce on prime of mine). In the tip, I preferred this one loads and cherished that the avocado added richness, however felt it was—like Reese’s—lacking a salty or crunchy factor.
2nd Place: Pepper Teigen
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If you do not know Pepper Teigen (aka Chrissy Teigen’s mother), it is best to by now. Not solely is she a pleasant presence on the internethowever she’s additionally the drive behind a lot of Chrissy’s prowess and curiosity within the kitchen. After an preliminary read-through of the recipes, I’ve to confess I used to be most excited to strive Pepper’s corn salad. With elements like bacon, fish sauce, and chilies, I had excessive hopes that it will be full of taste.
And the ultimate product didn’t disappoint. This recipe has loads going for it. For one, the corn will get sautéed in bacon fats, which imbues it with a smoky, scrumptious taste. There’s additionally an incredible number of coloration and texture happening on this salad. From candy cherry tomatoes that get kissed with warmth to launch their juices, to crispy, salty bacon, to the sliced chilies that add a bit of spice, this corn salad is a veritable celebration within the mouth. Shockingly, the fish sauce did not overpower the salad both, however fairly enhanced all of the smoky, candy, salty corn goodness happening in there.
It was my favourite salad till I attempted the final, however I may simply see myself making this recipe once more, particularly because it will also be made with frozen corn year-round. With a lot else happening in there, Pepper’s salad does not rely as closely on candy, recent corn for steadiness as Reese’s or Ree’s salads.
One ultimate be aware: this salad does come out pretty heat, which I preferred, however felt like this was value noting as a result of heat avocado can flip some folks off. If you are not a fan of heat avocado, add the slices on prime, fairly than mixing them in.
1st Place: Cameron Diaz
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Of all of the recipes, this was not the one I anticipated to like. For one factor, I did not even know Cameron Diaz preferred to cook dinner, not to mention develop recipes. But when she posted this recipe(ish) on her Instagram two summers in the past, the web went wild. I by no means obtained round to attempting it, so when this Taste Test got here up, I knew I needed to give it a shot.
Cameron’s corn salad is tremendous simple to make—like simple-enough-to-fit-in-an-Instagram-caption simple. It basically includes making a fast French dressing with recent orange juice, olive oil, and champagne vinegar. I could not discover champagne vinegar at my grocery retailer, so I substituted a mixture of white wine vinegar and sherry vinegar.
The solely precise cooking on this recipe is pan-frying the corn on excessive warmth with a bit of olive oil till it “pops” and browns a bit. It took only some minutes, however my corn did begin to pop and get crunchy. It will not get popcorn-level crunchy, however the outsides get crispy and the facilities keep creamy, including a enjoyable layer of texture to the entire salad. Finally, you combine the corn along with chopped sugar snap peas and the French dressing, then prime with flaky salt, pepper, and crumbled feta cheese, and that is it!
I used to be capable of cook dinner together with Cameron and the entire thing got here collectively from begin to end in the identical time as her video took, which is to say underneath quarter-hour. It makes about one serving for a light-weight lunch or “summer time snack,” as she describes it, however may simply be multiplied to make a bigger serving for a BBQ, potluck, or household dinner.
Simply put, I cherished this salad! It was simple to make, simple, gentle but stuffed with taste, and had that excellent steadiness of textures, temperatures, and flavors that each one the opposite salads fell quick on. Salty, candy, crunchy, and creamy, it was my best corn salad, and I’ve already made it a number of occasions because the preliminary check.
Never decide a e-book by its cowl, and by no means decide a recipe by its writer! Cameron Diaz could also be identified for previous appearing roles equivalent to “The Holiday,” “There’s Something About Mary,” and “Charlie’s Angels,” however to any extent further, in my home, she’ll be identified for this corn salad. Thank you, Cameron, for my new go-to summer time snack.
