This Sweet Corn Salad with Bacon combines the sweetness of fresh corn with the smokiness of bacon. Throw in some red onion, tomatoes, basil, and a creamy dressing made with mayo, lemon juice, and just a little bacon fat and you’ve got a bright and colorful side dish that’s perfect for your next summer bbq, gathering, or potluck.
I just love fresh corn. Whether it’s fried corn (my favorite), grilled, or in succotash, I’ll gobble it right up. So when summer rolls around and those stacks of fresh corn show up in the grocery stores and roadside stands, I’m always grabbing some.
The biggest challenge with fresh corn is getting it cleaned. Shucking and getting the silks off the corn is often maddening. But it doesn’t have to be.
Years back, someone showed me that when you cook corn in the husks, you get great flavor AND the steam that is created makes the husks and silks just fall right off. Now, I was a bit skeptical, but it 100% works. It’s why I always recommend grilling corn right in the husk. And it’s why I include the microwaving instructions for the corn in this recipe.
You simply microwave 2 ears of corn right in the husks. Then, once they’re cool enough to handle. You shuck it. You can do it the traditional way or you can follow what I think is an even easier method… Cut off the bottom of the cob about two rows of kernels above the stem end. Then, pinch the top of the husks and silks in one hand and shake the ear out of the cut end. It can take a little shaking, but it should slide right out of the husks and silks without much other cleaning. It’s genius!
But what if it’s not summer and you can’t get your hands on fresh corn to make this Sweet Corn Salad with Bacon? Well, have no fear. This recipe works great with frozen corn, too. Sure, it’s a little different, but will still go a long way at satisfying your craving for corn salad. You’ll need about 2 (10-ounce) bags of frozen corn to replace the fresh corn in this recipe. And since most of them can be steamed right in the bag, it makes it even easier.
A few things to keep in mind…
To add even more smoky flavor, I add 1 tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat to my dressing. It’s an optional step, but sure does add flavor. With that being said, you can replace the bacon with 1/2 cup of the real crumbled bacon that you can buy in the little pouches at the grocery store. In that case, you won’t have the bacon fat, but it will still be delicious.
I used grape tomatoes in the recipe, but you can certainly use regular diced tomatoes in roughly the same measurement.
When it comes to the basil, we tested it both with and without and loved it both ways. But the green sure does make the salad look even more colorful, so we chose to keep it. You could also swap it for fresh cilantro, parsley, or even dill – if you wanted.
Recipe Card
Sweet Corn Salad with Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon (about 1/2 cup cooked and crumbled)
- 6 ears fresh sweet corn* (about 4 cups of kernels)
- 1 cup sliced grape tomatoes
- 1/2 large red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat for the dressing. Drain on paper towels. Crumbled when cool. Set aside.
- Working in batches, prepare the corn by cooking 2 un-shucked ears in the microwave on high for 4 minutes. Repeat the process with remaining uncooked corn. This cooks the corn and makes it easy to shuck and remove the silks. Once cool enough to handle, cut off the bottom of the cob about two rows of kernels above the stem end, then pinch the top and slide the cob out of the husks and silks. Clean any remaining silks off. Cut the kernels off the cobs with a sharp knife, working to get as close to the cob as possible without cutting into it. You'll need about 4 cups of kernels.
- Make the dressing by whisking the mayo, warm bacon fat, and lemon juice together in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine the corn, tomatoes, crumbled bacon, onion, and basil. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Please note:
Nutritional values provided are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
What an easy and delicious side dish!!! I made this for the first time tonight to serve with salmon patties, pinto beans, cole slaw, and pear/lime congealed salad. It was the perfect accompaniment to our supper. I steamed frozen corn, used packaged bacon bits, and sprinkled in dried basil leaves, and it was still scrumptious. I can only imagine how much better it will be when I make it with fresh corn, my own fried bacon (with drippings for the dressing), and fresh basil. Thanks, Stacey, for another blue ribbon recipe!
Thank you so much! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it!
Stacey, I had to let you know that I added cubes of fresh avocado to the recipe tonight, and that took this recipe completely over the top!!! I think my husband could have eaten the entire bowl by himself. We served it with ham biscuits, carrot/raisin salad, and fresh berry salad. Thanks, again, for my current favorite recipe!
That sounds so, so good! Thanks for sharing your variation! Glad y’all enjoyed it!
I made this last night just as written. It was delicious! The only change I made was to half the recipe for myself and adult daughter. I served it as a side for tacos and the combination was fabulous. Thank you!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Amanda!
I used lime juice and cilantro (for lemon and basil)….so good!
Thank you!
That is an interesting new take on this recipe!
Okay, I added some avocado, and feta, (couldn’t get queso fresco), the green onions I had on hand, and then the lime and cilantro. Took over to a group of friends to go with Tacos. This was a hit…there wasn’t anything left. Can’t wait to try the original, but this twist was delicious.
Sounds great! Glad it turned out great for you!
Stacey, what a genius way to shuck and clean corn! I love fresh corn but don’t like the cleaning of it. Thanks for sharing this!
We absolutely ONLY use this method now! So easy!
I’d like to know how much in advance this salad can be made. We are blessed enough to be invited to a 4th of July party this year by extended, extended family and I would like to take this dish. I think it is something different and will be a huge hit!
I have had Corn salad in various ways. The first I ever had was about 40 years ago. The recipe was:
Ingredients: 2 cans White Shoepeg corn (I put my cans in the fridge overnight, it makes it very crisp)
Grape Tomatoes cut in half (you can use regular tomatoes if you want)
1 bunch of green onions chopped
1 large cucumber chopped
1 or 2 Tbsp ranch dressing
Mix ingredients together and enjoy.
I have found that you can substitute broccoli florets instead of the Cucumbers. (Broccoli keeps as leftovers better than cukes.
You can use a different salad dressing, but I only put enough dressing in to very lightly flavor ingredients, if you get too much, it takes over the flavor of the vegetables in it. You can mix various ingredients in this salad. Try it, you might like it. S
I would say storing this too long will allow the bacon to lose its crispness. So I’d recommend putting it together and add the bacon right before serving or prepping all of the ingredients in advance and stirring together at the last minute. Probably best to prepare no more than 24 hours in advance as the dressing will tend to pull moisture from the vegetables and tends to make it more “soupy”
soooo, I like to grill my corn on the stove top for this recipe. I spray my grill pan with olive oil, lightly butter my corn, and sprinkle smoked paprika all over it. Lightly char. Gosh, is it good – and yes, I do like adding the basil. So very, very good!!!!
This sounds amazing as well!
I will be making this.
So glad!