Spicy Corn and Shishito Salad

Spicy Corn and Shishito Salad
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(2,317)
Notes
Read community notes

In this recipe, shishito peppers are sliced, lightly sautéed, then tossed with raw summer corn and a cumin-lime vinaigrette for a summer salad that’s crunchy, smoky and a little spicy. Traditionally used in Japanese and Korean cooking, shishitos are small, thin-skinned green peppers that have become increasingly popular in the United States. They are typically mild in flavor, but the occasional pepper packs a spicy punch. If you can’t find them, use diced green bell peppers in their place. Finally, cilantro-averse cooks can substitute fresh mint.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • tablespoons olive oil
  • 2tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • ¼teaspoon ground cumin
  • Kosher salt
  • cup diced red onion
  • 1garlic clove, minced
  • 3cups fresh corn kernels (from 4 to 6 ears of corn)
  • 6ounces shishito peppers, stemmed and cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices, or green bell peppers, stemmed and diced
  • 1large jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, diced
  • ¼cup grated Cotija or crumbled feta cheese (optional), or to taste
  • ¼cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

268 calories; 15 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 458 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons olive oil with the lime juice, cumin and ¾ teaspoon salt. Stir in the red onion and garlic and set aside until ready to use. (Do this step first so the onions and garlic have time to mellow slightly in the dressing.)

  2. Step 2

    Place the corn kernels in a large bowl and set aside. In a medium (10-inch) sauté pan, heat the remaining 1½ tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the shishitos, jalapeño and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender and beginning to brown, 4 to 6 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Add the peppers and dressing to the bowl with the corn and toss well. Add the cheese, if using, and toss. Garnish with cilantro.

Ratings

5 out of 5
2,317 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

I dry pan cooked 2 of the ears of corn and added 2 fresh ears of corn for more interest. Used significantly less oil. Used white wine vinegar for the red onion rather than oil. Included the line juice, cumin, and salt. Excellent. Came together very easy and simply. Will make this again.

Made exactly as the recipe instructs except for the cheese. Used shishitos and fresh-shucked corn. It was easy. Chopped the peppers over cocktails and talk while the onions and garlic marinated. My dinner guests freaked out at how good it was. We devoured it all. Just spicy enough, super interesting texture-wise, full of late-summer flavor and just scrumptious all around. It's a generous four servings, but I was grateful for that because otherwise we would have been fighting over this salad.

When I made this, I was really craving the blistered shishito (or padron) peppers that are one of my favorite summer snacks, so I left the peppers whole, blistered them in the olive oil, sprinkled them with a little maldon sea salt, and arranged them on top of the corn salad along with a chunky diced avocado. I also fine-diced the jalapeño and added it to the corn mixture. DELICIOSO!

This looks good. I’m considering making this and adding a poached egg to give it some protein and make it a veggie main course.

Raw. If you've not tried corn raw, I'd encourage you to do so. I nearly always eat mine raw -- it's crunchier, juicier, and less starchy and heavy-feeling that way.

First, have to wonder how many people were in the kitchen to accomplish this in 15 minutes! Shucking and stripping the corn takes almost that long unless you don't care about removing all the silk. That aside, this is really good. Followed the recipe as shown, using Feta. Did let the shishito peppers cool to room temp before mixing everything together. Definitely will fix this again. I do find it very aggravating when recipe times are so very far off and it's not just this one. Be realistic!

Oh yum! For those who are shocked by raw corn: make the salad the same day you buy or pick the corn; don’t store the cobs in the fridge. That’s what makes them tough. Raw corn, perfectly fresh, is heaven. I made this exactly as written and I must say I’d be heavier with the spice and lime juice next time, but it was still delicious and very fast. I blister shishitos all summer as a snack, so it was nice to do something different with them. A keeper recipe.

Just a hint about cutting corn off the cob: lay it down on a cutting board, cut off one side, turn, cut, turn, etc. it doesn’t fly all over and no balancing act in a bowl.

It took over an hour to prepare the shishito peppers. Six ounces is probably 25 peppers. It's a good dish, but just be prepared to spend a lot of time - or switch to bell pepper.

So good! I roasted the corn first, then the jalapeno and shishitos. I was a little nervous about the heat factor from the spicy smell. I tasted it and it was delicious. The husband has a dislike of spicy, so I added 1 smallish heirloom tomato to balance it. Perfect. I'm making it again for the Labor Day cookout this weekend!

A keeper. I used just three corn cobs and everything seemed to be in proportion. The feta gave some decent salt and I may have pulled back on the added salt in the dressing. With my shishito pepper producing like gangbusters, this will be made again and again until it stops.

Tastes even better than it looks. Made tonight for a group and everyone loved it! Even people who said they don’t normally enjoy corn. I prepped in the morning then assembled about an hour before dinner so could serve the dish at room temperature. I opted to use feta and cilantro. I doubled the shishito’s and made a bit extra dressing since I used 6 ears of corn which appeared to be way more than three cups. No matter how much corn I use next time, I’ll keep the extra shishito’s...so delicious!

This is stupid delicious exactly as written. We’ve made it twice and neither time succeeded in stopping ourselves (two people) from consuming THE ENTIRE huge bowl’s worth. Other commenters are right; 5-6 cobs is definitely more corn than 3 cups, but 5 cobs is just right for me. And yeah, the commenter who said the dinner guests freaked out over how good it was? I’d lose my mind if someone served this to me, too. Delish. Make it tonight.

It was simple to make, and got rave reviews from everyone. Having fresh corn from our local farmers market made a difference too - corn has been very sweet this season.I did 3 tbl lime juice, 1 tbl oil - 2 tbl oil would have been way too much. As a bonus, I used the cobs to make corn stock, just deciding exactly what soup I want to make with it.

We loved this as an easy, tasty and interesting dish. Used three ears of fresh corn, followed recipe as close as we could, otherwise. Served as a side with roast salmon. Keeper for us.

Love this. Made as written with feta cheese. Flavors, textures all wonderful. Hope I can use frozen corn in the winter. Yum.

First time using shishitos -should they be seeded?

Simple and spectacular. Made this exactly according to recipe except the cheese. I used it as a topping for another salad last night (green salad with cold lentils, avo, and cukes) and ate a bowl of the corn salad by itself for lunch today. I think it’s the cumin and lime juice in the dressing that makes it addictively good. Would be a welcome potluck/picnic dish. Adding this to my summer staples lineup.

Perfect summer dish and a true crowd pleaser. The raw corn was a revelation. We added a bit of red and orange bell pepper for color but otherwise followed the recipe.

The dressing and sautéed shishito peppers were delicious. The raw corn had a starchy texture and I see notes about using the freshest corn possible which is not really possible - so I would probably sauté it a bit if I made this again or (sigh) used canned corn. Otherwise really fresh and bright flavors.

This was delicious as written, I also added in a can of black beans and that was delicious too. I also liked it by itself and with chips too!

Didn’t find shishito at store so used poblano and held out jalapeño for adding raw for spicy eaters only but otherwise made as written. Excellent summer dish! We ate as a main with shrimp sautéed with smoked paprika but I think this is better as a side as it was very sweet from all the corn. Cotija gave a nice balance of saltiness.

I used half the jalapeño, the only change I made. This is a delicious meal for me as a vegetarian. I will make it again.

A summer favorite. We double the cumin in dressing, then double the dressing. For cutting kernels from cob, we put a thin cutting board in a large sheet pan and stand cob up on larger end, then slice down - fences-in flying kernels.

Great as a side for chicken thighs grilled simply. Great as leftover. I just added the last of it to scrambled eggs in the last bit of cooking time to warm through. Such good flavor and interesting texture!

I love everything that goes into this (especially shishito), but even cutting back the jalepeño about 33%, this just tasted like a lackluster mix of corn, jalepeño and feta. 5 stars from 2K+ reviews? Bah!

Cut recipe in half as I am cooking for one. Used 2 ears of corn, and about 13 shishito peppers. Ate the whole salad this evening! Will definitely make again! Thinking of adding black beans for additional protein, and saw a similar recipe online that included avocado. Next time would add more shsito peppers. Delicious and easy to make. Loved the dressing!

I’ve been making this nearly weekly in the summer for a couple of years. It’s hands down the best summer salad I’ve made. I made it again last night, for friends, and added a can of chickpeas for added protein. Everyone raved about it.

I used leftover grilled corn. Otherwise, I made no improvements. It is really mild, but that can vary according to natures touch on the peppers. Hot sauce at the table took care of balancing the heat to various tastes of the family. Easy and fairly cheap. It will happen again.

I just made this and see what all the fuss is about!! Currently trying not to eat the whole bowl by myself lol. Absolutely delicious!

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Credits

By Lidey Heuck

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