Corn and Tomato Salsa
Here is a quick recipe for a delicious corn and tomato salsa that I use frequently with tacos (both steak and chicken), but also goes great with fish and chicken as a side dish, or sauce. During late summer with both the corn and tomatoes are at their peak this is perfect cool accompaniment to so many things. And the best thing is, it only takes about 10 minutes to make.
Ingredients for Corn and Tomato Salsa
- One ear of corn
- Two Roma tomatoes
- One shallot
- One lime
- 1 heaping tablespoon of cilantro
- Salt and pepper
Keys to success
Being an uncooked dish, the quality of the ingredients is very important for this salsa. Get the best corn and tomatoes you can, and if you can’t find good ones, maybe skip this one and make it another day.
Another key to this dish is to make sure you have the right balance. When I talk about balance, I mean having all the ingredients and flavors in harmony. It’s perfectly fine if you like a bit more corn than I like, or a touch more lime juice, but you can push things too far. In this dish, the corn provides sweetness and crunch, the lime some bitterness, and the cilantro a freshness. I encourage you to play with the proportions, but just taste as you go. That’s critical step – tasting – too many people don’t do, and they lose sight of that balance.
Sauté the corn
- Cut off the corn kernels from the cob and put into a bowl
- Heat a pan until it’s very hot, and add about a tablespoon of olive oil and then the corn kernels
- Season and toss the corn to coat it
- Let the corn sauté (without moving the pan) for about a minute; it should just start to turn brown
- Toss again, and let it cook for another 30 seconds or so, and remove back to the bowl to cool
Cut the other vegetables
- Dice the tomato into cubes about the size of the corn kernels
- Finely dice the shallot
- Finely chop up the cilantro
Putting it all together
- In a bowl, combine the tomato, cooked corn, cilantro and shallot
- Season with salt and pepper and the juice of ½ a lime - you may want to use a bit less lime juice as you can always add more, once you taste it
- Stir to combine, and taste
- Adjust the seasoning, or other ingredients as needed
This salsa is really quick to make and frankly really impresses people, so make sure to keep it in your repertoire. Hope you enjoy!!
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