Corn and Avocado Salad with Quick Pickled Onions

Friends often think that because I cook professionally, my food always comes out just right. Not so. Case in point is today’s dish. It wasn’t supposed to be a Corn and Avocado Salad at all. I had planned to share a homey corn pudding from my husband’s family. But I got too aggressive with my tinkering, knocking out all of the cream and replacing it with milk, changing the method entirely, and using a large cast iron skillet in place of the baking dish dictated by the recipe.

I had a bad feeling about my version from the get go. And that was before I dropped the entire pan when I pulled it from the oven (said cast iron skillet was too heavy). My dinner sizzled on the open oven door looking more like poorly executed scrambled eggs than any corn pudding I’ve ever seen. I’m still finding corn kernels in the crevices of my range.

Summer Corn and Avocado

With summer corn still on the brain, I turned my attention to something a little more in my comfort zone: salad. This Corn and Avocado Salad with Quick Pickled Onions is my take on a dish that’s been cropping up all summer long: in food magazines, on restaurant menus, and most recently, at a friend’s catered party. Putting summer’s sweet corn and tender, ripe avocados together is a no-brainer. Including pickled red onions, one of my favorite homemade condiments, is what sets this salad apart.

Easy Pickled Onions

I know, I know, pickling has a lot of you running scared with visions of great aunties and grandmothers hovered over bubbling cauldrons and Ball Jars lined up across the kitchen counter. But this is not your grandma’s canning. It’s a quick and dirty, one minute pickling job that takes the bite out of the onion, infusing it with a touch of sweetness. The only skill required is a teensy bit of patience for the magic of vinegar and sugar and salt to do its work. After making it once, it’s a handy addition to your cooking repertoire that can brighten any number of summer favorites: on hamburgers, alongside barbecued pork tenderloin, and chopped into potato salads.

Corn and Avocado Salad Satisfies

The starchiness of the corn and the richness of the avocado make this a particularly satisfying salad. It can hold its own as alongside grilled meat, fish or poultry. Feel free to swap out the cilantro for fresh basil if you like.

As for the corn pudding, I’ll probably get back to it one of these days. Maybe I’ll have recovered from my cooking debacle by the time corn is good and sweet again next summer.

If you like Corn and Avocado Salad, check out these related posts and recipes

How to Cut Corn from the Cobead

Mexican Street Corn Salad 

Peach, Tomato, and Corn Salad

Summer Pasta with Tomatoes and Corn

How to Cook Corn in the Microwave

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Corn and Avocado Salad with Quick Pickled Onions

This summery salad is best made and served the same day, since avocado doesn't hold up well overnight. That said, if you do have leftover salad, it makes a terrific filling for vegetarian tacos. Melt Cheddar or Jack cheese on corn tortillas, top with corn salad and warm black beans, and serve with salsa on the side. Scrumptious.

Course Vegetable Side

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 105 kcal

Author Katie Morford

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn on the cob, shucked, silks removed
• 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ ripe avocados

Instructions

1. Cook the corn on the cob using your preferred method until just tender. I’m partial to steaming it over high heat in about 1 inch of water in a large, covered pot. I usually move the corn around in the pot once during cooking and check for doneness by popping a kernel off of the cob using a butter knife and tasting it. Corn takes about 5 to 7 minutes to steam.

2. While the corn is cooking, make the pickled onions. Mix together the vinegar, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a small bowl, stirring until the solids dissolve. Add the onion slices and submerge completely in the vinegar. Let that stand for at least 20 minutes.

3. When the corn is cooked and cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off of the cobs. If you don’t have a particularly sharp knife, a serrated edge one can work well here.
4. Put the corn in a medium bowl. Scoop the pickled onions out of the vinegar, allowing the vinegar to drip off of them, and add the onions to the corn. Add two tablespoons of the pickling vinegar to the corn. Discard the remaining vinegar or save it to use in another salad dressing.
5. Add the remaining ¾ teaspoon of salt, cilantro, and olive oil. Mix well. Cut the avocados into cubes and add to the salad. Stir gently and serve.