Fresh Corn Salad

Recipe from Martha Stewart Living Magazine and Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

If I was a writer, I'd write an ode to Orange County sweet corn. When we drive about the county, we leave the windows open, even in the heat, just so we can smell the corn fields. I love that smell! Working at the Orange County HomeGrown Farmers Market, I can tell you that things get serious when the sweet corn arrives, so I know I'm not alone in my love for this vegetable. Since shucking corn and cutting the kernels off the cob is a messy affair, I do this job outside. I take my cutting board, large bowl and chef knife out there and shuck away. If you can't wait until Tuesdays or Saturdays to purchase local corn, you're in luck! You can get it at Lost River Market & Deli too! Fresh Corn Salad seems like such a plain name for such a fabulous salad. Every time I make this salad, it's gone within minutes. I always serve it in a bowl that's cobalt blue in color with a sprig of our purple basil on top. It really shows off the golden kernels.

5 Tablespoons olive oil (divided)
8 cups fresh corn kernels
1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 cup red onion, diced
¼ cup scallions, sliced (Scallions are green onions)
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup fresh basil leaves, slivered (Purple basil is beautiful in this salad.)

Heat 3 Tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and sauté corn kernels for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix with the remaining ingredients. Serve cold or at room temperature.