A simple and refreshing summer salad packed with lots of flavors and textures. Juicy tomatoes and salty feta get tossed in a garlicky lime dressing and topped with sweet corn, fresh cilantro, and crunchy tortilla chips.
Ingredient highlight
Tomatoes! There is nothing like a ripe juicy summer tomato and the end of summer is peak season. Not only does that mean they will be sweeter, juicier, and more flavorful, but it also means their nutrient content is at its highest. Tomatoes are a great source of vitamins C, A, K, and potassium. They’re rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that gives tomatoes that bright red color. They also are high in lutein and zeaxanthin – two nutrients important for eye health.
P.S. When eating tomatoes NOT in summer, I always opt for cherry tomatoes since they are usually sweeter and juicier.
Servings 4 – 6
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 7 minutes Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 4) or 2 pints cherry tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces or halved (about 3-4 cups total)
- Kosher salt
- 1-2 ears corn, shucked (about ½-1 cup kernels)*
- 1 clove garlic, grated or pressed***
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 8-10 oz feta cheese, crumbled (about 2 cups)**
- Chopped cilantro, for topping (or use basil or parsley)
- Crumbled blue corn tortilla chips, for topping
- Black pepper
- *If you don’t have a grill, you can do the same thing in a hot skillet or cut the kernels off the cob (or use frozen) and char them in a very hot skillet for a minute. We want the corn to still have a little crunch to it. You could also just keep the fresh corn raw.
- **Crumble the feta into a mix of smaller and larger chunks – you don’t want a super fine crumble.
- ***This adds a delicious raw garlic flavor, but if that’s not something you like, you can replace it with ½-1 cup of thinly sliced scallions or ¼ red onion.
Instructions
- Add tomatoes to a colander or fine mesh sieve set over a plate, sprinkle salt all over (about ½ teaspoon), and use your hands to gently toss to mix. Let them sit for 5-10 minutes – this will help season and boost that tomato flavor.
- Rub the corn with a little oil to coat, place on a hot grill or skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until charred, turning every 2-3 minutes (see recipe note). Transfer to a cutting board to cool off, then slice the kernels off with a knife.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the garlic, lime, oil, and salt. Add the tomatoes and feta and toss to coat.
- Transfer the salad to your serving bowl or platter and top with the corn, tortilla chips, cilantro, and black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cut or halve 1.5 lbs ripe tomatoes (about 4) or 2 pints cherry tomatoes into bite sized pieces
- Cook and cut the 1-2 ears corn
- Crumble 8-10 oz feta cheese into chunks
- Chop cilantro, for topping
- Whisk together the dressing + add tomatoes and feta
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, replace the feta with 2-3 avocados cut into chunks. Be sure to season them and the salad with some extra salt since you’re taking out the salty feta.
- Replace feta with chunks of fresh mozzarella cheese.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Eat straight out of the fridge or let it come to room temp. Top with more chips, herbs, and a squeeze of lime.
- Serve with whole tortilla chips and scoop the salad onto the chip.
- Serve with any cooked protein.
- Chop it up more finely and use as a salsa.
- Serve it on a bed of quinoa and squeeze extra lime/drizzle with more oil/sprinkle with salt and pepper and add all the toppings.
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