Side salads are an opportunity to combine fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs with a less-common lettuce (or lettuce substitute—here, arugula). Try this flavorful and refreshing Raw Corn and Herb Salad at lunch or dinner. It goes with just about anything, but pairs especially well with pork, ribs, grilled steak, grilled fish or roasted chicken.

This recipe serves 4-6 people. It was developed by Chef Eric Dantis for THE NIBBLE.

Ingredients
• 4 ears raw corn
• ½ bunch large cilantro leaves
• 1 handful baby arugula
• 1 tablespoon yuzu juice (an Asian citrus)* or ½ teaspoon lemon juice mixed with ½ teaspoon lime juice
• 2–3 tablespoons blood orange-infused olive oil (we enjoy Sonoma Farm’s) or plain extra virgin olive oil
• 2 poblano chile peppers
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Optional romaine for “lettuce cups”

This salad can be served as a side salad or a
first course. Photo by Katharine Pollak | THE NIBBLE.

Preparation
1. Roast the poblanos on a grill or directly on the stove fire until the skin has blackened. (Alternatively, you can roast the chiles under a broiler or in a 400°F oven until tender.) After the skin has blistered and blackened, place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside until they are cool enough for you to handle them.

2. Cut the kernels off the corn cobs; run your fingers through the kernels to break them apart. You can use frozen corn if fresh corn is unavailable—but there’s nothing better than fresh corn!

3. Pull cilantro leaves from the stems. They’ll be serving as a lettuce-like component.

4. Pour yuzu and olive oil into a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper and whisk the mixture together to make a vinaigrette.

5. When poblanos are cool enough to handle, peel off the blackened skin. Cut in half and discard seeds, ribs and stems. Then cut into small squares, about the same size as the corn (this cut is called a brunoise, broon-WAHZ).

6. Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. If serving as a first course, serve in romaine lettuce “cups” (fill a medium-size leaf of romaine with the corn salad). You can also use the lettuce cup as an attractive presentation alongside the main protein.

You can create easy variations of this recipe by adding 1/2 cup cooked black beans (or other beans) and/or 1/2 cup diced tomato.

Find more salad recipes in our Gourmet Vegetables section.