This corn salsa with avocado makes a perfect fresh and healthy summer side dish. It’s great for serving with a backyard barbecue, on top of your favorite Mexican dishes, or simply served along with tortilla chips.
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Why this Recipe Works
I love to have friends and family over in the summer to grill out, so I am always looking for fresh healthy side dishes. This corn avocado salad really hits the spot. Even my kids love it!
It’s a mixture of fresh sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado, and red onion for a little bite. Then it’s all tossed in a bright and tangy lime vinaigrette. It's fresh and flavorful and perfect for summer.
Ingredients
- Corn - I like to use fresh corn in the summer for the freshest flavor, but if it’s out of season frozen corn works too. Canned corn will also work in a pinch.
- Avocado
- Tomatoes - I prefer sliced cherry tomatoes in this salad. The size is perfect, and they hold up well after adding the dressing. Diced Roma tomato will work as well.
- Red Onion - If you're not a fan of raw onion, soak them in cold water for around 10-15 minutes before adding them to the salad for a milder flavor.
- Lime Juice
- Olive Oil
- Cilantro or Parsley
How to Cook the Corn
- Grilled in foil - This is my favorite way to cook corn in the summertime. Shuck the corn and wrap it in foil with a little butter and throw it on a hot grill. Then cook it for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. I like to get a little char on my grilled corn, so I remove it from the foil and put it back on for a few minutes until slightly charred.
- Grilled in the husk - Peel back the husk and remove the silk from the corn then fold the husk back in place and soak in a large bowl or pot of water for around 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the corn and grill for 15-20 minutes turning occasionally.
- Boiled - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add shucked corn and boil for 10-15 minutes
- Sauté - Cut corn from the cob. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a pan until melted then add corn and cook for around 5-7 minutes stirring occasionally.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- The preparation for this summer corn salad is simple, just combine your cooked corn with the tomatoes, onion, and avocado in a large bowl.
- In another bowl prepare the vinaigrette by adding the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro or parsley, salt, and pepper then whisk to combine.
- Then pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss gently to coat.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make this recipe a few hours ahead and refrigerate it. If you need to make it more than a few hours ahead, you will want to leave out the avocado. Otherwise, the avocado will brown which won’t look too appetizing. Shortly before serving, cut your avocado and gently fold it into the salad.
How to Serve Corn Salsa
This creamy avocado corn salad makes a great summer side dish along with grilled meats, barbecue, and burgers. It's also an awesome side or topping for Mexican food like my sheet pan fajitas or chicken enchiladas with green sauce.
It also makes a great game day appetizer served simply with tortilla chips and other dips and salsas like homemade guacamole and pico de gallo.
Corn Avocado Salsa Recipe Tips
When preparing the ingredients try to keep things fairly evenly sized to ensure you get the perfect bite every time!
Yellow, white, or bi-color varieties all work, but fresh is definitely best when in season. Corn loses its sweetness pretty quickly after being picked, so if out of season, go with frozen since it's picked and flash-frozen at its peak freshness.
To add some heat to this corn avocado dip add diced jalapeno or serrano peppers.
More Mexican and Southwestern dishes to try!
- Enchiladas with Green Sauce
- Instant Pot Spanish Rice
- Chicken and Black Bean Quesadillas
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls
📖 Recipe
Corn and Avocado Salad
Ingredients
- 3 ears corn, cooked
- 2 medium avocados, rough chopped
- ⅓ cup red onion, diced
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley or cilantro , chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine corn, avocado, red onion, and tomatoes in a large bowl
- Combine Olive oil, lime juice, and parsley in small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Pour vinaigrette over corn salad and gently fold to combine
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow flavors to combine
Nutrition
* All nutrition information we provide are estimates based on third party calculators. We encourage you to calculate these on your own for accurate results.
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