Napa Sweet Corn Salad is full of fresh flavors and lots of crunch. Serve as a healthy side dish with any summer dinner, or take to a BBQ!
Although the only visual proof my husband and I have of taking a babymoon a couple months back is a picture of my iced tea cheersing his Hendrick’s martini, it happened! 24 hours in Kansas City, Missouri — they never saw us coming. Probably because our visit was so short that the city could have blinked and missed it, but it was a great time nonetheless.
After checking into our hotel we bellied up to the bar at Cooper’s Hawk for lunch. There are many local restaurants in KC but Cooper’s has a great GF menu, and I was hangry, so inside we went. I ordered the Napa Chicken Salad which doesn’t sound particularly life changing but it was magical. Not because of the chicken or greens, but because everything but the kitchen sink was loaded on top.
That said, this salad is all about the toppings. Napa Sweet Corn Salad is my at-home recreation and it’s so delicious that I promise it’ll become your new go-to summer side dish / potluck salad.
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Summer is synonymous with sweet corn season here in the state of Iowa. Did you know that less then 1% of all the corn grown here is sweet corn? Some food for thought, har. Iowa sweet corn is so candy-sweet and tender that I like to eat it raw like in this salad.
Yes, you can eat raw fresh sweet corn. It’s sweet and crispy — such a treat!
That said, raw sweet corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, avocados, chopped apples, almonds, green onions, and fresh basil are drizzled in a 4 ingredient homemade Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette to create the crunchy, crispy, creamy, fresh, healthy, and delicious side dish that’s perfect for serving with dinner, or taking with you to a summer BBQ, potluck, or picnic.
How to Make Napa Sweet Corn Salad
Start by adding all the goodies into a big bowl – that’s:
- Sweet corn kernels
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Chopped green onions
- Chopped avocado
- Chopped red apple
- Sliced or chopped almonds
- Chopped fresh basil
How to Slice Kernels Off the Cob — No Mess!
Next shake or whisk up the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette to drizzle on top – that’s:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper.
Taste then add more honey if you like, though remember the sweet corn and apple add sweetness to the salad.
Drizzle your desired amount of dressing on top then toss everything to combine and serve it on up.
Take to a summer picnic or potluck, or serve with dinner (this dish pairs perfectly with grilled meats, if I do say so myself!) No matter how ya eat it, I hope you love this bright and colorful, healthy summer salad — enjoy!
More Summery Side Dishes
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)
- Sweet Corn Caprese Salad
- Best Baked Beans EVER
- Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Green Beans with Bacon
- Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Peach Caprese Salad
- Mojito Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups sweet corn kernels, ~3 ears
- 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
- 3 small or 2 large green onions, chopped
- 1 small avocado, chopped
- 1 red apple, chopped
- 1/3 cup sliced or chopped almonds
- 1/4 cup packed fresh basil, chopped
For the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Combine ingredients for the Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette in a jar or bowl then shake or whisk to combine. Taste then add up to an additional 1/2 Tablespoon honey if desired – remember that the sweet corn and apple will add natural sweetness to the salad. Set dressing aside — can be made up to 5 days ahead of time.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl then drizzle over desired amount of Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette and stir to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to several hours.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Has anyone tried this with frozen corn?
I am wondering if I could use frozen corn for this recipe? I want to make this for my church on April 9th, however as you know….no fresh corn this time of the year!!! Let me know if you think that would work.
I think it could, Diane!
This was such a yummy recipe!!! it really was so good!! It had so many different kind of flavours!! it looked amazing too!!
I’m so glad to hear it, Halayna! Thanks for your feedback and recipe review!
Love this recipe and the dressing is devine. Late summer raw sweet corn is a wonderful highlight. I left out the apple and used pine nuts as I didn’t have almonds.
Finally had a chance to make this over the weekend. It’s a winner!
Oh my gosh – I made this today using what I had in the house (so no avocado, a peach instead of apple, sunflower seeds instead of almonds…and bottled honey mustard dressing with some extra dijon and vinegar)…so, not exactly as written at all, but thanks so much for the inspiration – it is absolutely delish!! I’ll definitely make it as written next time for comparison sake, but yummy any way you make it!
I just made this for a big group BBQ and it turned out great! Made (almost) exactly as-written (just doubled it and swapped almonds out for walnuts because that’s what I had). Thanks and congrats on your BEAUTIFUL new baby girl! :)
Hi Kristen! Do you think this would work as a pasta salad? Would you change anything or just add pasta? Thanks!!! Hope you and the family are doing well!
Made the Napa Sweet Corn Salad for an office potluck today – everyone loved it! Thanks for another great recipe!
YAY!! Thanks so much for the feedback, Denise!!
Joe’s KC! Everything is SO good! My husband is a meat snob and says Joe’s is the best BBQ he’s ever had! Also, you can order their meat online and have it shipped – made his Father’s Day one year!
Although Taiwan is the fruit kingdom, it is very difficult to find the appropriate salad recipe in Taiwan. I am so into this sweet corn taste and definitely will send the recipe to my wife.
It should be the family routine salad on my meal list. Thanks for sharing. Whole family goona like it
I know you are on leave, but perhaps this will get answered in time. Th Napa Sweet Corn salad recipe confused me, as the narrative had mentioned chicken and greens. So is this just what the toppings consisted of on the salad you ate on the Babymoon? If I put greens and chicken in it, I assume then it would be the whole salad you had, and be a meal in itself, correct?
Yep, these are just the toppings. You could add greens and chicken to make it a full meal vs a side salad.
This was terrific!
So glad you liked it, Liz!! Thanks so much for your star rating. :)