feta corn salad;

This feta corn salad starts with bright and fresh veggies but adds a real kick of flavor through the chunky feta dressing. It reminds me a little of a Mexican corn salad, but that probably just comes from the fact that there’s lots of corn and a tangy white cheese added to this feta corn salad.

When it comes to your veggies, fresh is best. If you have a local farmers’ market or can buy local produce, even better. Local produce usually is picked at peak ripeness and doesn’t have to survive transportation and display for additional time, which is why it’s ideal. But if your local grocery store works just as well.

When it comes to salads, it’s all about the veggies. I find local fresh options have the best flavor. But any way to get more vegetables in is really best–that can be fresh, canned, or thawed from frozen.

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Canned, frozen, blah blah blah. There’s a whole lot of debate these days on fresh vs preserved. I don’t buy into the hype. For me; any way to get more vegetables in is best. Sometimes that means a local farmers’ market, but a lot of times it means canned corn or other easily accessible options. There’s also something to be said for convenience.

Which brings me to my next topic: corn. I really love to get some smoky char on my corn for added depth of flavor. You can do this two ways: get your own corn still on the ear, and char it over an open flame. If you have a gas stove, you can use a burner, or you can use a grill or cast-iron pan. Nothing can beat local corn charred to perfection over an open flame for flavor.

But when it comes to convenience, I opt for Trader Joe’s frozen fire-roasted corn. It still packs so much flavor and doesn’t require the overhead of spending an afternoon at a local farmer’s market or whipping out the open flames. And it tastes just as darn good.

Up the ante in this salad by using fire-roasted corn. Roast or grill it yourself, or find pre-roasted options. I skip the roasting if serving alongside other grilled foods like burgers and brats.

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If you prefer a milder flavor, then skip the corn roasting altogether and just use straight corn kernels. Sometimes, especially if you’re serving this feta corn salad at a BBQ or cookout, you want variety in your dishes. You might not want this side dish to have that smoky grill flavor when your burgers and brats are already bringing that to the party. So I keep the corn plain when serving with grilled meats or veggies.

The other veggies in the salad are classics–red bell peppers, cucumbers, scallions, and carrots. You can use any color bell peppers, but I typically prefer red bell peppers in this feta corn salad. I think the colors look nice together, and red bell peppers are the sweetest. As an alternative, I’d opt for yellow or orange before I’d throw in a green pepper though. Green peppers are the most bitter.

Once you have all your veggies prepped, it’s time for the dressing. The feta dressing is honestly–omg-so-good. I might have sat there with a spoon and eaten it by itself…once…or twice…or lost count… But the tang from the feta and the umami from all the spices and the sharpness of mustard just really packs a powerful and delicious punch in every bite.

The base is cheese–and who doesn’t like cheese? I highly recommend getting a block of feta over those pre-crumbled packs. Nothing wrong with them, but a block of feta will have more moisture and let you easily crumble it up finely. Having fine crumbles helps the dressing stay together and ensures that every bite. But if you prefer fewer but bigger chunks of feta, that’s great too.

I highly recommend getting a block of feta over those pre-crumbled packs.

secret to success

If you’re planning to serve this feta corn salad all at once for a crowd, then go ahead and mix together all the ingredients. But if you’re using it more as meal prep for the week, then I recommend storing the dressing separately. I find that separate storage of the veggies and dressing a) makes the salad last longer without becoming mushy or soft, and b) also helps me control the portion of dressing. Which clearly I need, given my earlier comment of just eating the dressing with a spoon.

Another way to keep your feta corn salad fresher for longer is to store it in an aerated container. I got this nesting set of fruit storage containers on a whim, and it’s been one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. It makes it easy to wash my produce and store it, and on top of that, it definitely keeps fruits and veggies fresher for longer. So you can easily make a big batch and not worry about your feta corn salad going bad.

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Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!

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more recipes;

Looking for other refreshing recipes? Check out these healthful options.

• For a fun new twist on cornbread, try this sweet corn mochi cornbread. It’s chewy but packed full of sweet corn flavor and a welcome addition to any summer spread for something new and exciting!
• Have extra feta cheese to use up? This tyrokafteri feta dip is the perfect complement to some fresh veggies, especially if you can get ones from your farmer’s market packed with flavor.
• Another fan favorite salad is my avocado caprese salad. It’s got fewer ingredients and is so simple to throw together, and tastes just amazing with fresh basil and drizzle of balsamic glaze. Don’t forget that flaky sea salt! It really ties the whole salad together.