Black Bean Corn Salad with lemon poppy seed dressing is a fresh and vibrant side dish perfect for summer gatherings. It can also be used as a condiment for tacos, burrito bowls, or green salads!
I know. Corn.
I know.
Some folks love it, some folks abhor it, some folks love-abhor it because it is fantastically delicious but tends to be heavily genetically modified and – well – void of anything nutritionally meaningful.
Truthfully, I don’t consume corn often because I keep my diet low-inflammatory and choose my sources of inflammation with much scrutiny. BUT I do get a great amount of enjoyment out of the kernel, so I’ll cook with it on occasion. And when I do, I’m sure to get the most bang for my inflammatory buck.
Meaning, I use it in a way that will bring me great joy.
For instance: corn salad. Fresh and spunky, magical on, around, or in just about anything.
Corn salad is particularly amazing when combined with black beans, bell pepper, tomato, onion and a homemade lemon poppy seed dressing. Everything comes together in an incredibly fresh, crunchy, creamy, tangy amalgamation to make your taste buds swoon.
You can make it with fresh corn or canned corn!
How about we whip this out right quick?
How to Make Black Bean Corn Salad:
If using fresh corn, begin by cooking it. To do so, shuck the corn by removing and discarding the husks. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a full boil. Use tongs to carefully place corn in the boiling water and turn off the heat. Cover and cook until the kernels are tender, about 10 minutes.
Use tongs to transfer the corn to a cutting board and allow it to cool. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to carefully cut the kernels off of the cobb.
(Note: if using canned corn, simply open the cans and drain the corn in a colander before adding it to a serving bowl.)
While corn is cooking, add all ingredients for the dressing to a small blender and blend until completely smooth. (If you don’t own a small blender, just whisk everything very well in a small bowl until creamy) Refrigerate until ready to use.
Add the chopped cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell peppers, and basil to a large serving bowl Note: You can also use just one color of bell pepper rather than using 1/2 a red and 1/2 a green.
Open one can of black beans and pour it into a colander. Rinse under cool water until the water that runs off of the beans is clear. Transfer the black beans to the serving bowl.
Add all of the dressing to the bowl and mix until well-combined. Taste for flavor and add more sea salt, lemon juice and/or pure maple syrup to taste.
Serve alongside your favorite entrees and enjoy!
Main Entrée Suggestions for Serving:
Here are some of my favorite recipes from the blog to serve with, on, or around the corn salad:
- Crock Pot Carnitas Burrito Bowls
- Crock Pot Shredded Chicken Chile Verde Burrito Bowls
- Grilled Salmon
- Orange Ginger Grilled Chicken
- Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Strawberry Black Bean Salsa
- Orange Ginger Baked Halibut
- Cod Salad with Basil Walnut Pesto
Recipe Adaptations:
- If you don’t have a lemon on hand, omit the lemon juice and zest and use rice vinegar or cider vinegar
- Use honey instead of pure maple syrup in the dressing.
- Incorporate your favorite fresh vegetables with the salad. Raw broccoli, cauliflower, carrot, spinach, and/or green onion are marvelous additions!
- Swap fresh mint for the fresh basil
What will you do with your corn salad?
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Black Bean Corn Salad with Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing
Ingredients
- 3 ears corn cooked, or 2 cans corn
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup red onion finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper cored and chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper cored and chopped
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped
Lemon Poppy Seed Dressing:
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil mayonnaise or mayo of choice
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or oil of choice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 small clove garlic minced
- 2 tsp poppy seeds
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- If using canned corn, open the cans, drain using a colander, and transfer corn to a large mixing bowl. If cooking corn, shuck it and carefully place in a pot of boiling water. Remove from heat and allow corn to sit and cook 10 minutes.
- Use tongs to transfer the corn to a cutting board and allow it to cool. Once cool enough to handle, use a knife to carefully cut the kernels off of the cob.
- While corn is cooking, add all ingredients for the dressing to a small blender and blend until completely smooth. (If you don’t own a small blender, just whisk everything very well in a small bowl until creamy) Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Add the chopped cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell peppers, and basil to a large serving bowl.
- Open one can of black beans and pour it into a colander. Rinse under cool water until the water that runs off of the beans is clear. Transfer the black beans to the serving bowl.
- Add all of the dressing to the bowl and mix until well-combined. Taste for flavor and add more sea salt, lemon juice and/or pure maple syrup to taste.
Very nice recipe chef 👍👌👏. I just had it for lunch 😋 yammy. Thank you for your effort 🌞😎
Thank you, Jasson!
Woww! ? Made this for dinner tonight with chopped chicken breast added to it & some chopped cucumber. (Only had about a quarter cup basil in the house). Everything else was the same, and it was sooo delightful!! My family loved it!
I have made many of your recipes and they are absolutely all very yummy! Thank you 🙂
I’m so happy you and your family liked it! Thank you for the sweet note!! xoxo 😀