Corn and Black Bean Salad

A simple summer side dish comes together in no time, and tastes great. This sweet corn and black bean salad recipe makes a perfect summer salad, with tomatoes, avocado, cotija cheese, and fresh herbs.

Summer Salad Satisfaction

Is there any better time to eat than summer? With the possible exception of Thanksgiving dinner, summer food is just the best, especially because of produce like corn and tomatoes.

This easy corn and black bean salad tastes satisfying and summery — even when you make it with, yep, frozen corn. First, the corn kernels are broiled briefly in the oven to give the kernels some browning and depth of flavor.

The corn then gets tossed with a few simple ingredients like black beans, tomatoes, scallions, cilantro, cotija cheese, and a simple vinaigrette. The result is a festive and satisfying summer salad you’ll make again and again.

Making This Easy Black Bean and Corn Salad

This recipe comes together easily, and with easy-to-find ingredients you may already have in your pantry, fridge, or freezer. You can make it start to finish in about 15 minutes, and it can be made up to one day in advance. It’s great if you have fresh corn, but a one-pound bag of frozen corn works very well and saves the trouble of shucking.

This recipe is written to serve 4 to 6 people as a side. But since corn and black bean salad is very popular for larger summer gatherings and parties, please know that it is very easily doubled.

Here is some more info on this recipe, below.

Recipe Ingredients

For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• Sixteen ounces of corn kernels, fresh or frozen (about 2 1/2 cups, from about 3 to 4 ears of corn)
• Half of a ripe avocado (halved, cored, scooped from the peel, and diced)
• Half a pint of grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• Half a can of black beans, drained
• One small shallot, minced
• Two scallions, green and light-green parts, sliced thin
• One quarter cup of minced fresh cilantro
• Three ounces cotija cheese, crumbled, plus more to garnish
• Two tablespoons of olive oil, divided
• Two-and-a-half tablespoons of red wine vinegar or fresh lime juice
• One teaspoon of Kosher salt, or to taste
• Fresh black pepper
• Optional: a dash of cumin powder

Substitutions and Additions

• You can swap vinegar or juice from fresh limes. You could also use 1/4 minced red onion in place of the shallot.
• If cotija cheese is not available, you can substitute queso fresco, crumbled feta cheese, or a grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese that has not been aged more than 12 months, preferably a little less. (The more parmesan ages, the funkier it tastes — which is normally great (like in fettuccine Alfredo, for example), but it will be overwhelming here.)

How to Make Corn and Black Bean Salad

Using Fresh vs. Frozen Corn in this Corn and Black Bean Salad Recipe

Fresh summer corn is a true treat. I prefer yellow or bi-color corn kernels to white corn, but any will do. There are many videos and articles on how to cut corn kernels from a cob, but the best way I have found is to simply:

1. Lay the a cob of shucked corn flat on a cutting board, then
2. Use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off, one “side” at a time, rotating as you go.

I don’t really go for the “slicing down the cob into a bowl” business. The cob is so unstable that way!

Fresh corn is delicious, but you know what else tastes good? Frozen corn. Frozen corn is the ultimate no-fuss version. Just plunk a bag of defrosted corn onto a sheet pan, and broil. Don’t feel a bit of guilt using frozen corn. Frozen corn is great. It works just as well, and was fresh once upon a time.

How to Broil the Corn Kernels in the Oven

One key to getting the best flavor from this recipe is to broil the corn until the kernels have browned a little. Those blistered, toasted kernels have a wonderful depth of flavor, and it’s worth taking the step.

1. Preheat your broiler. Spread the kernels on a half-sheet pan and lightly toss with olive oil.
2. Place the sheet pan on the top rack of the oven, about 3 inches from the broiler element. Check every minute or so, until the top of the kernels are toasted brown. Do not stir during the broiling process.
3. Cool on the sheet pan for a few minutes before making the salad.

Assembling and Serving the Corn and Bean Salad

Once all the ingredients have been prepped (chopping, broiling, mincing, measuring), this is basically a dump-and-stir salad. Simply toss the corn kernels, beans, avocado, tomatoes, herbs, cheese, olive oil, vinegar or lime juice, and the salt and pepper together in a bowl and stir. Taste for seasoning.

I prefer to let it sit for a few minutes before serving, to let the flavors combine.

This corn and black bean salad recipe can be made up to one day in advance and kept, covered or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator.

You’ll also like these other fantastic summer salads:

• Tomato, Cucumber, and Halloumi Salad
• Zucchini Ribbon Salad
• Spicy Asian Cucumber Salad
• Mexican Corn Salad