Mandi Knowles, RDN - Senior Director of Research & Development, Wellina
Published: September 1, 2026
Sweet corn, cherry tomatoes, avocado and feta, tossed with lime and olive oil. It takes about ten minutes, requires no cooking, and is the kind of thing that disappears at a cookout.
It's also a salad with two timing problems that nobody mentions — avocado browns, and salted tomatoes leak water. Solve those and this goes from a dish you make right before serving to one you can actually take somewhere.
Make it hold up
The avocado. Lime juice slows browning but doesn't stop it. If you're eating within an hour or two, cut the avocado into large chunks and toss it in last — the bigger the pieces, the less cut surface exposed. If you're making it further ahead, leave the avocado out entirely and fold it in just before serving. It takes thirty seconds and it's the difference between bright green and grey.
The tomatoes. Halved cherry tomatoes release liquid as they sit, and that liquid pools at the bottom of the bowl. If you're making this ahead, halve them and let them drain in a colander for ten minutes first. You'll lose a little juice and keep the dressing from turning watery.
The onion. Raw red onion sharpens as it sits. If you're sensitive to that, soak the diced onion in cold water for five minutes and pat it dry — it keeps the crunch and loses the bite.
Corn: fresh, frozen or canned
Fresh is best in season, and each ear gives you roughly ¾ cup of kernels, so three ears covers this recipe. Cut the kernels off standing the ear in a wide bowl rather than on a board, unless you enjoy chasing corn across the counter.
Frozen works year-round and needs no cooking — thaw it and pat it dry, since excess water dilutes the dressing. Canned works too; drain and rinse it well.
Grilling is the upgrade. Ten minutes on a hot grill before you cut the kernels off gives you char and a deeper, slightly smoky sweetness that changes the dish more than any other variation here. If you're already grilling, it costs you nothing.
Summer Corn Salad Recipe
Servings: 4
Nutrition Facts per Serving
Calories: 210
Total Carbohydrates: 23g
Dietary Fiber: 5g
Protein: 9g
Ingredients
- 2 cups corn
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¼ red onion, diced
- 1 avocado, cut into large chunks
- 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 4 oz. light feta cheese, crumbled
- Black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Halve the tomatoes, dice the onion, chop the parsley and cut the avocado into large chunks.
- Place everything in a large bowl, drizzle with lime juice and olive oil, and toss until combined.
- Season with black pepper. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
This is a side, not a meal
Worth being straightforward about: at around 7 grams of protein per serving, this is a side dish. It's a good one — fiber from the corn and tomatoes, monounsaturated fat from the avocado, and 210 calories — but it won't hold you the way a meal does.
If you want it to be lunch, add protein rather than more salad:
- A can of drained black beans adds about 7 grams per serving and turns it Southwestern
- Grilled chicken or shrimp is the obvious pairing — the lime and avocado were built for char
- Chickpea pasta, tossed through, makes it a main and adds both protein and fiber
Or eat it alongside something that already has the protein handled. Our high-protein meals work well here, and anything from the freshly made range pairs naturally with a bright, acidic side like this one.
Three worthwhile variations
Swap the herb. Cilantro instead of parsley pushes it Southwestern and pairs better with black beans or a squeeze of hot sauce.
Swap the cheese. Cotija is the natural fit if you've gone the cilantro-and-beans route. Goat cheese is creamier and milder. Leaving it out costs you salt more than anything, so add a pinch back.
Add heat. Diced jalapeño, a pinch of cayenne, or a few dashes of hot sauce. Against sweet corn and lime, heat works better than you'd expect.
A note from the kitchen
The one thing I'd change if I were making this for a crowd: dress it at the table. Bring the bowl, bring the lime and oil separately, and toss it there. Corn salad is at its best in the first twenty minutes, and dressing it early is the most common way people end up with a good salad that's gone soft by the time anyone eats it.
