This tomato peach salad with corn is one of my favorite ways to celebrate late summer produce. Delicious, beautiful, and packed with nutrients, it’s ready in just 20 minutes.
If you’re sick of me talking about campsite cooking already, go ahead and skip this paragraph – and the next two – because I’m not done with it just yet. This tomato peach salad with corn was born during (surprise!) one of our many camping trips to Cape Cod.
One day, I’d bought some gorgeous tomatoes, corn, peaches, and red onions at the local farmstand for dinner. I had planned on making a tomato-onion salad, grilling the corn, and eating the peaches whole (with the juice dripping down my chin, of course). But by the time I got back to the campsite, an idea popped into my brain: why not combine all these things into one salad?
Between the juicy tomatoes, sweet peaches, savory corn, and sharp onion, it turned out to be an incredibly satisfying – not to mention gorgeous – summer salad. The dish got rave reviews from my camping mates and has since become a staple at our corner of the campground. Here’s how it’s done…
What’s In This Salad
This salad has tomatoes, peaches, red onion, sautéed corn (flavored with garlic and chili flakes), and basil. It’s dressed simply with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The recipe is pretty open to interpretation, though – substitution ideas below.
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
- Tomatoes: I like cherry tomatoes here because they have less juice and thus result in less sogginess. But you can use heirloom or any other good-quality tomatoes here.
- Peaches: Nectarines would also work!
- Onion: I love the sweetness of raw red onion in salads, but you can use white onion, shallots, or even scallions as alternatives. (No need to soak scallions, though).
- Corn: Use the freshest corn you can find – preferably one that has the husks still on. Avoid pre-peeled, styrofoam-packed corn. As an alternative, use frozen corn; note it will take a few minutes longer to cook.
- Basil: Feel free to sub with cilantro and/or mint.
- Vinegar: Virtually any vinegar (red wine, apple cider, champagne, balsamic) – except white distilled – will work here, as will fresh lemon or lime juice.
How to Make This Tomato Peach Salad
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Soak the Onion
Dice up your onion and soak it in a bowl of cold water for about 10 minutes. This will tamper its spicy bite – reduce your chances of onion breath.
Step 2: Sauté the Corn
Shuck the corn (i.e. peel off the husks and silks). Stand the cob upright in a large bowl (with the pointy side facing up) and run a sharp knife down the corn to cut the kernels off. Saute the corn for a few minutes (just until it’s lightly browned) and finish by stirring in some chili flakes and fresh garlic.
Step 3: Prep the Other Ingredients
While the corn does its thing, combine the tomatoes, peaches, basil, and drained onion in a large bowl.
Step 4: Dress the Salad
Lastly, add the sautéed corn to the bowl and season with vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. The vinegar and salt amounts provided below are just suggestions; tweak these to taste based on the flavor of the tomatoes and peaches you’re using.
Make-Ahead Tips
This salad will get soggy if it sits out for too long, so be sure to eat it right away. If you want to prep it a few hours in advance, sauté the corn and keep it separate. Cut the tomatoes and peaches, place them in a bowl, and refrigerate. Soak, drain, and refrigerate the onion. Combine and dress the ingredients right before serving.
More Salad Ideas…
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
PrintTomato Peach Salad with Corn
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This tomato-peach salad is one of my favorite ways to celebrate late summer produce.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice* (see note below)
- 2 ears of corn, shucked
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- Pinch of chili flakes
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved*
- 2 ripe peaches or nectarines, cored and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil, cut into thin ribbons*
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar*, or more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Fill a small bowl with cold water and add the onion. Soak it while you prep the other ingredients.
- Cut the corn kernels off the cobs by standing the corn pointy side up in a large bowl. Run your knife down the cob, slicing the kernels off.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn kernels and cook until golden brown around the edges, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 minced garlic clove, a pinch of chili flakes, a pinch of salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and cook for 30 seconds more. Turn the heat off.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, peaches, basil, and the drained onion. Add the corn and season with the remaining tablespoon of oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Gently toss to combine. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- As substitutes, use white onion, shallots, or even scallions. (No need to soak scallions, though).
- You can use any tomatoes you have.
- Besides basil, you can use cilantro and/or mint.
- Virtually any vinegar (red wine, apple cider, champagne, balsamic) will work here, as will fresh lemon or lime juice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 120
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 18.3 g
- Fiber: 3.3 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
Tiffany says
If you’ve never cooked fresh corn on a pan before (previously I’ve only used frozen) – do it. I happened to try a spoonful of the corn while it was cooling and the flavor blew me away. This salad is a hit with everyone and worked very well as a side for the enchiladas we made as the main 😊
Alexandra says
Yes! Sautéed fresh corn is sooo good 😀