Corn and Arugula Salad

Whip out this salad at your next barbecue, or tote to your next picnic.  Then prepare yourself for loud oohs and ahhs.   Or, more likely, quiet nods in appreciation as everyone will be stuffing themselves and running back for seconds.

Last summer theDaughter decided to hold a house-warming to conveniently coincide with my trip to sunny CA.   To augment the grilled meats, we stocked up on fancy-schmancy salads from her local Whole Foods.  Some people have nicknamed the market "Whole Paycheck" because some items are very pricy (*cough* asparagus water "cough*).  While some prices seem way out of line,  others groceries are truly less expensive than my own local Try-n-Save.

But getting back to salads, we let our eyes do the shopping and loaded up with some amazing-looking salads.  One of them was a Corn and Arugula Salad that tasted even better than it looked.  I took this photo of the label so that I could more easily recreate it when I got back home to NJ.

Turned out that this is a relatively easy salad.  It comes together quickly, and can be made in advance, thus freeing you up to mingle with your guests.  After a few tries, I really think I created a true clone.

Then for some reason never bothered to share the recipe.  Until now.  You're welcome.

Artsy angle.  The only special effect was the cropping.

Do not bother to separate the corn kernels.   The segments give the salad a more rustic, yet pleasing appearance.  Plus it more resembles the Whole Foods' version.

For the same reason, just run a knife a few times thru the red onion slices.

This recipe has been submitted to No Croutons Required, a monthly linkup event, alternatively hosted by Jacqueline's blog Tinned Tomatoes and (this month) by Lisa's Kitchen.


Corn and Arugula Salad
Yield: 6-8 servings

5 ears fresh corn, shucked
1 (5-6 oz.) bag baby arugula or Spring Mix leaves
5 thin slices red onion, quartered
2 tsp.  canola oil
2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp. each white wine and rice vinegar (or 2 tsp. white wine vinegar)
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper


Bring a 4-quart or larger pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.  Add corn; return to boil.  Reduce heat to a slow boil; simmer corn 6-8 minutes.

Use tongs to transfer corn from pot to a heat-safe dish; let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.

While corn cools, whisk together thyme, oil, wine and rice vinegar (or white vinegar), along with salt and pepper in a small bowl; set aside.

Roughly chopped the larger segments.

Slice kernels off the cob; avoid separating the segments into individual kernels.    Just leave it as 1-inch or so strips.

Place in a large mixing bowl along with arugula and red onion; lightly toss vegetables until everything is evenly distributed.

If not serving right away, cover and store salad and vinaigrette separately in the fridge for up to a day. 

Up to an hour or two before you are ready to serve, whisk dressing, then drizzle  over salad mixture and toss again.