Jazz up your Summer salad menu with a Corn and Cucumber Salad. The light and healthy mixture of veggies along with a creamy yogurt, mayo and dill dressing will satisfy any palate when the warm weather hits.
It’s Labor Day and summer is officially over, but it doesn’t feel like it. If it’s hot where you are, a corn and cucumber salad is just what you need to balance out any meal. Are you trying to come up with a salad to take to a potluck, or dinner? You’ll be the star with this fresh summer salad that goes with almost anything.
A summer salad made with fresh corn, cucumbers, red peppers and dill is both healthy and a delicious way to use up fresh veggies. Unlike a traditional cucumber salad with a vinegar based dressing, yogurt and mayonnaise coat these summer favorites.
Why you’ll love it
- Uses up plentiful summer vegetables in a different way
- Hardly takes any time
- Yogurt mayonnaise dressing is a nice change from the vinegar dressings in most cucumber salads
- Great for taking to a potluck
- Simple make ahead salad for dinner with friends or family
- It’s healthy and delicious
We get fresh corn and cucumbers around here all summer long, so we’re always looking for new ways to incorporate them into our meals. The creamy dressing made with greek yogurt and a little mayonnaise is light and compliments the vegetables without making your mouth pucker. Fresh dill makes it even better.
You can make this in advance and toss with the dressing about 30 minutes before you’re ready to eat, which makes it great for a potluck or for dinner with friends. I grew up with a vinegar based cucumber salad with tomatoes, but I like this one so much better. Mike proclaimed it his new favorite.
What you’ll need for the salad
- Cucumbers – English cucumbers are the best for salads, but if you have garden ones, just make sure you let them drain in a colander with some salt before adding to the salad. This will keep the salad from becoming too watery.
- Corn – raw cut right off the cob is best but you can use frozen if it’s not available.
- Red pepper – this adds a pop of color and a nice crunch.
- Shallot – You can use a regular onion instead, but I prefer the milder flavor of a shallot.
- Fresh dill – this adds a lot of flavor, if you can’t find fresh, then use 2 teaspoons of dried.
What you’ll need for the dressing
You probably have the ingredients in your refrigerator already. You’ll need mayonnaise, greek yogurt, mustard, garlic, lemon juice and a little sugar.
Which type of cucumber should you use in a salad
There are basically two types of commonly found cucumbers where I am in North Carolina. They are English cucumbers and Garden cucumbers. English cucumbers are what most recipes call for because they are seedless and have a thin skin. You will find these wrapped in plastic in the grocery. Since the skin is thin, you don’t need to peel them. They’re perfect for this salad.
The other type of cucumber is the Garden cucumber which you’ll see in famers markets and groceries. When found in the grocery they may have waxed the skin to keep the moisture in. The skin is thicker on a Garden cucumber and can be a little bitter sometimes, so for most recipes you’ll want to at least partially peel them. Garden cucumbers also have seeds, which I don’t mind but it can make the salad watery, so if using Garden cucumbers, you’ll want to remove the seeds. If you have a choice, go with the English variety.
PRO TIP: Before using cucumbers in a salad, place them in a colander or strainer with some salt to draw out the liquid. Let them sit in the sink for about 30 minutes. If you skip this step, you could have a watery diluted salad depending on how much moisture is in your cucumbers. Don’t worry about them being too salty, most of the salt runs out with the liquid.
Can you eat raw corn
When telling Natalie about this salad, she was skeptical about eating raw corn. Corn is so sweet this time of year that you don’t need to cook it. In my book the only reason to cook corn is so that you can smear it with butter. Otherwise, just cut the corn off the cob and add it to your salad.
Step by step directions
Step 1: Slice the cucumbers. Place them in a colander in the sink with a teaspoon of salt to drain out some of the liquid.
Step 2: Cut the corn off the cob, chop the pepper and shallot and combine.
Step 3: Whisk together the dressing ingredients and add to salad before serving.
This light and cool salad goes great with spicy shrimp or chicken or pork or even with a Smash Burger. You can change the proportions of vegetables to your liking but don’t leave out the dill, it really makes the salad.
A corn and cucumber salad will stay delicious for days, however, the cucumbers will get limp after a day or two. If you think you may have leftovers, leave some without dressing to keep it fresh and crisp a little longer.
With this fantastic salad in your back pocket you’ll be the first one to volunteer to bring the salad!
FAQs and Tips
If fresh corn is not available, you can use frozen corn, but not canned corn, it will be too mushy.
No, I prefer it raw, but if you want, you can microwave it a little before cutting.
You can used dried instead, you would need 2 teaspoons. Fresh will have more flavor.
Since the salad has both dairy and mayonnaise, you should keep it refrigerated. If serving outside, place it in a bowl of ice to keep it cool.
If using Garden cucumbers, you may want to at least partially peel it due to the thick skin. English cucumbers have a thinner skin and will not need to be peeled.
What goes with a cucumber corn salad
- Slow Cooker Bourbon Pulled Chicken
- Mustard Drumstick with Peach Glaze
- Smash Burgers
- Slow Cooker Ribs
More summertime salad
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Corn and Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups English cucumbers sliced into ¼ inch slices
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon shallot diced
- 3 ears corn cut from the cob
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill ½ teaspoon dried
DRESSING
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place sliced cucumbers in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Do not rinse. Pat dry with a paper towel. Place in a large bowl. Add shallot, corn, pepper and dill and mix to combine.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing and season with salt and pepper. Pour over cucumber mixture and chill for 30 minutes. If not serving right away wait to add the dressing.
Video
Barbara’s Tips + Notes
- You don’t need to peel the cucumbers if using English cucumbers. If using Garden cucumbers, partially peel, every other strip.
- You can use frozen corn but don’t use canned corn.
- You can make this earlier in the day, just wait to add the dressing until shortly before serving.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. It will still be fresh for at least one day, after that it will be delicious but may be a little wilted.
Nutrition
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Salad sounds delicious but have a cucumber allergy. Do you think you could substitute zucchini for the cucumber?
I think the flavors with zucchini or summer squash would be great and they are substantial enough not to get mushy. Let me know how it turns out.
What a beautiful and delicious way to say goodbye to summer! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner Party – Hope you are having a fabulous weekend!
I love to find new ideas for dinner.