Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad

This raw zucchini and corn salad gets its spunk from a garlicky-lemon basil vinaigrette that lightly marinates the thin squash peels and freshly shucked corn kernels.

This raw zucchini salad is proof that you don’t always have to have a plan.

Sometimes the best dishes are created on the fly, without intention or strategy. If you just let intuition take over.

Ingredients don’t always lend you inspiration right off the bat. They reveal themselves in good time. I think this salad captures the essence of summer — bright and fresh, lazy and satisfying.

After a visit to the farmers’ market one recent Saturday, FoodieCrush contributor Hayley found herself with a bounty of veggies and no idea what to do with them. Feeling hungry, but not particularly ambitious, she decided to throw together this raw summer salad. It turned out delicious, and even more healthy for eating in the raw.

What’s In This Zucchini and Fresh Corn Salad

Zucchini
Yellow squash
Corn
Goat cheese
Red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
A few leaves of fresh torn basil
Extra-virgin olive oil
Fresh lemon juice
Fresh basil chopped
Dijon mustard
Garlic

How to Make This Zucchini and Corn Salad

Slice the zucchini into ribbons. I took yellow squash and zucchini, and shaved them into delicate ribbons with a simple vegetable peeler. I suggest you cut the ends of the zucchini off first, then gently peel lengthwise until you hit the seeds and middle, which will become thin and watery. When you’re done, the middle should be in a stout, squared column that you can toss in the compost or garbage.

Cut that raw corn from the cob. Next, I cut sweet, plump bi-color corn kernels right off the cob, and add them to the bed of squash. There are lots of hacks out there for cutting corn from the cob so the kernels don’t ping pong around the kitchen as you cut, but I most often I end up just gently sawing the kernels from the cob and scooping them together in a pile. The dogs will clean up anything that falls on the floor as they stare and wish, “PLEASE, FALL ON THE FLOOR!!!”

Prep the lemon-basil vinaigrette dressing. The simple but totally tasty vinaigrette involves garlic, fragrant basil and a bowl of lemons. This is where we get our spunk, with a bit of Dijon added in. The beauty of this dressing is it gently marinades and totally flavors the raw ingredients.

Add the spunky creaminess of goat cheese. Creamy goat cheese purchased from the market earlier that morning made its way into the salad as well. As the ribbons and corn and vinaigrette mixed together with each forkful, the cheese adds a creaminess to the salad that’s not to be missed.

Make the Salad Ahead of Time

While this salad is terrific to enjoy right after you add the dressing, if you have time, add the dressing and then let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour to soak in that simple lemon dressing. Oh man. It is tasty.

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

4.09 from 78 votes