Sheila Parkash – Serves 6

The corn in this recipe isn’t cooked, and that’s not a typo. You won’t be turning on your stove or oven. This dish is best made when summer corn is at its peak, juicy and sweet. 

Farm fresh vegetables are a part of my DNA. My paternal grandfather, a farmer from Missouri, migrated to California because of the Dust Bowl (think Grapes of Wrath sort of move). Eventually, the family settled in Riverside, where he had a garden and grew all sorts of fruit and vegetables. 

One of my fondest memories is of him standing in a garden, shaking the stalks of corn so that the tassels would pollinate the ears of corn. He loved eating home-grown cantaloupe with salt at lunch, which he called ‘dinner’ because he was from the South, and later on, we would sit on the back porch and shuck the corn for the evening meal. 

At the house on Mt. Vernon, my mom and dad grew zucchini, cucumber, strawberries, and tomatoes. So many zucchinis. I grew up on vegetables prepared directly from the garden and relate to the farm-to-table point of view by people like Alice Waters, the originator of ‘California Cuisine.’ To celebrate all the gardeners in my life, here is an easy recipe for farm-fresh summer corn salad. 

Ingredients

• 1 Shallot, diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 2 Ears of sweet corn, shucked and kernels removed (about 1¼ cups)
• ½ Large English cucumber, diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 2 Tomatoes, diced into ¼-inch pieces
• 3 T Lemon juice and zest
• 2 T Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 T *Za’atar, plus more for serving
• 2 T Mint leaves chopped
• ¼ C Parsley leaves chopped
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Rinse the diced shallot in a fine-mesh strainer with cool water to make it less potent. Drain well and place it in a large bowl.

Add the corn, cucumber, tomatoes, lemon juice, olive oil, za’atar, a few generous pinches of salt, and several grinds of pepper to the bowl and toss well to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the mint and parsley. Garnish with more za’atar before serving.

*Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend, most commonly featuring a combination of dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds, and sumac. It’s known for its earthy, nutty, and tangy flavor profile, making it a versatile ingredient in various dishes.