I made this salad a couple of weeks ago while on Shelter Island. At the time, I was cooking so many delicious new recipes that I found it difficult to post them all in a timely manner. Unfortunately summer corn is on its way out (at least in the Northeast) so you may have to wait until next summer to try this recipe.

I’m always looking for new summer vegetable salads. I have my go-to favorites that I make every summer, but I really enjoy trying new ones as well. This one piqued my interest because of the edamame. Unfortunately we only have one supermarket on Shelter Island, and they don’t carry edamame! They have a great Asian cooking section, and I can find many things there that I don’t easily find at my supermarket in NYC, but to my surprise, no edamame. I had the rest of the ingredients on hand, so I substituted lima beans for the edamame. The salad was delicious and it disappeared in no time. No surprise because I think it would be hard to make a terrible salad when you’re using fresh summer vegetables and herbs from the garden. Next summer when the fresh corn is back, I’ll try this with edamame. Although I thought it was great with lima beans, I think the firmness of the edamame will add something nice to the salad.

Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomato, and Edamame Salad
Recipe from Fine Cooking, July 2009

1 cup frozen shelled edamame
5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears)
2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. clover honey
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil

Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.

Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 4 – 6 servings as a side dish

One year ago: Fresh Pear Pie with Dried Cherries and Brown Sugar Streusel