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A Summer Sweet Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Wild Rice
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Every summer I overbuy sweet corn. Six ears for a household of two, every single trip, like the season might get called off early. This corn salad takes the same ears and turns them into something you can actually put on a table. Corn, cherry tomatoes, and red onion all go onto one sheet pan and come out sweeter than they went in. Underneath sits wild rice with real chew, plus a fistful of peppery arugula; toasted walnuts and a garlicky red wine vinaigrette finish the whole thing off.
There Is A Story Behind Every Ear Of California Sweet Corn In This Salad
Somebody in Brawley picked this corn by hand, and that’s worth thirty seconds of your time.
At Five Crowns, a family farming operation that’s been at it for forty years, the sweet corn headed to grocery shelves is too sweet to harvest by machine. Kernels burst on contact with mechanical harvesters. So the crew works down the rows in the Imperial Valley sun snapping ears off the stalk one at a time, and those ears move into the company’s cooler and out to stores, usually inside a week. Fields rotate between the Imperial Valley, the San Joaquin Valley, Arizona, and Mexico, which is why you can buy sweet corn kernels in February and not feel weird about it.
Let’s Break Down Some Of The Other Ingredients In This Sweet Corn Salad
Wild rice has the most surprising backstory in the bowl, starting with the fact that it isn’t rice at all. California didn’t produce it commercially until 1977, and the whole industry traces back to a Northern California rice farmer named Vince Vanderford, who in 1972 planted an acre and a half of seed a friend mailed him from Minnesota just to see what would happen. Fourteen years later, there were 50 growers farming 15,760 acres.
California Wild Rice: Not Rice, Still Delicious
Here’s something most people don’t realize right away: wild rice isn’t actually rice at all. It’s a seed harvested from aquatic grasses, which explains its nutty flavor and firm texture, and why it cooks a little differently from traditional rice.
California, often called the breadbasket of the world, is also the number one producer of wild rice, thanks to ideal growing conditions and experienced farmers who know how to bring out the best in this unique crop. The result is a hearty, versatile ingredient that works just as well in cozy soups as it does in fresh grain bowls and salads.
Cooking wild rice is simple. Simmer it in water and salt for about 50 to 60 minutes until tender, then drain and let it steam briefly so the grains open and soften. From there, it’s ready for just about anything.
The California walnuts in this salad are almost a given. Toasting them for this salad is key for maximum flavor. Five minutes in a dry skillet is the difference between a crunch that survives the vinaigrette and a crunch that doesn’t show up at all.
California Walnuts: Crunchy and Classic
If you have walnuts in your kitchen, odds are they came from California. More than 99% of the walnuts grown in the U.S. are produced in California’s Central Valley, and globally, California supplies over half of the world’s walnut trade.
California walnuts bring serious crunch, flavor, and nutrition to both sweet and savory dishes. Curious how they’re grown? Click here so we can break it down.
Pro tip: Maximize California walnuts’ fresh taste and quality by storing them in your refrigerator or freezer.
Olive oil’s fruity, grassy flavor does more for sweet corn than butter does, and it handles the high temperatures in the oven better than its reputation suggests.
A Word About California Extra Virgin Olive Oil:
Want to be sure your olive oil is fresh, the highest quality, and the real deal? Look for the COOC seal on bottles of California Extra Virgin Olive Oil to make sure you’re getting delicious 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Certified California EVOO uses stricter standards than international requirements, requiring the oil to pass chemical testing and a sensory analysis by a group of experts, called an organoleptic panel evaluation.
Why This Fresh Corn Salad Is Perfect From The First Bite To The Last
Good ingredients don’t automatically add up to a good salad. Most corn salad recipes dump raw kernels in at the end, and you can taste the shortcut. Here, everything that can take heat gets it. Corn, tomatoes, and red onion share one sheet pan with olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper for 30 to 35 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
What comes out is not what went in. Corn goes golden at the edges and tastes noticeably sweeter. Cherry tomatoes wrinkle and slump into something closer to jam. Red onion drops its raw bite completely, turning soft and tender.
Arrange the tomato halves cut side up when you spread them on the pan. This way they hold their juice instead of leaking it across the sheet pan, and the cut surface picks up a little color. If you’d rather cook the ears whole and cut the kernels off afterward, our oven-roasted corn method uses a microwave trick that strips the silk clean in one pull.
The wild rice is doing the structural work underneath all of it. Rinsed, simmered in broth with a spoonful of olive oil for 45 minutes, then steamed off the heat for another ten, it turns chewy and deeply nutty. That texture is the reason this salad reads as a hearty lunch instead of just another summer side dish.
How To Pull It All Together
Start the wild rice, since it takes the longest by a mile and needs time to cool. Get the vegetables onto the sheet pan next. While the oven works, whisk the vinaigrette together: minced garlic, honey, Dijon, dried oregano, salt, cracked pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil.
Assembly is layered rather than tossed. Cooled rice and arugula go in a large bowl with half the dressing and get tossed, then moved to a serving platter. The roasted vegetables land on top while still warm, followed by toasted walnuts and flat leaf parsley. Drizzle the rest of the vinaigrette over everything right before it goes to the table.
Tips for the Best Corn Salad Results:
🌽 Look for bright green husks wrapped tight against the cob. Shuck right before you cook.
🍅 Give the vegetables room. A crowded sheet pan steams instead of roasting, and you’ll lose the browning that makes this worth the oven time.
🌾 Cool the rice completely. Spreading it on a parchment-lined baking sheet gets it there fast and keeps the grains separate.
Leftovers keep in an airtight container about three days, though the roasted tomatoes release some liquid and the arugula wilts early on. If you’re making it ahead, hold the greens and the last of the dressing aside and build bowls as you go when you are ready to serve.
Grab Summer’s Sweetest Corn While It Lasts
Sweet summer corn keeps a short schedule. Buy a few ears while they’re at the height of the season and get them in the oven, because there are only so many backyard barbecues left between now and Labor Day.
More Recipes to Swoon Over This Summer
Veggie Loaded Wild Rice Cakes + Sweet Corn Tomato Relish
Say hello to our favorite recipe for wild rice cakes, a dish that’s as exciting as it is delicious. Crispy, golden-brown patties with nutty California wild rice and vibrant veggies are topped with a relish that’s sweet, tangy, and utterly addictive. Intrigued? You should be!
Grilled Zucchini, Corn, and Peach Quinoa Salad
This summer salad combines Delicious corn, sweet peaches, nutritious zucchini, and creamy avocados. All grilled to impart a smoky, summertime flavor. We know this one will steal the show at your dinner table.
An Avocado Salad Recipe With Sweet Corn
If I had to pick one side dish to keep on hand all summer long, this Avocado Salad Recipe with Sweet Corn would most definitely be it! This salad is equal parts sweet and savory and can be made with either raw or roasted sweet corn, depending on your preference and how much time you have to pull it all together.
Tomato Mozzarella Pistachio Wild Rice Salad Recipe
This Tomato Mozzarella Pistachio Wild Rice Salad Recipe from Salt & Wind should be your summer potluck salad because it’s easy and always gets major compliments. Loaded with greens, tomatoes, mozzarella, and toasted pistachios, it’s a summer recipe that’s a total keeper.
Veggie-Packed Viral Jennifer Aniston Salad
If you’ve been anywhere near social media over the last couple of years, you’ve seen the Jennifer Aniston Salad pop up again and again. It’s colorful and crunchy. It’s the kind of salad people proudly meal-prep and show off like a badge of honor. And yes—there’s a reason it went viral. It’s packed with fresh herbs, crisp veggies, plant-based protein, and that irresistible Mediterranean energy that never gets old.
Need a new soundtrack for your kitchen? Check out this CA GROWN Spotify playlist:
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A Summer Sweet Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Wild Rice
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup organic wild rice or wild rice blend
- 1 3/4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 TBSP olive oil divided
- 4 ears corn husked
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3 cups arugula
- ½ cup roughly chopped toasted walnuts
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley
Vinaigrette:
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 TBSP honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 2 TBSP red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
Instructions
Prepare the wild rice:
- Using a fine mesh sieve, thoroughly rinse the rice under cold water, drain.
- Combine the rice, vegetable broth, and 1 TBSP olive oil in a 2 qt saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Cover with a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat to maintain a low simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
- With the lid on, remove from the heat and steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork then spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet so that the rice can cool completely.
Roast the vegetables:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- On a sheet pan, toss the corn, tomatoes, and red onion with 1 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt and black pepper. Spread them into a single layer across the pan, arranging the tomatoes, so they are cut side up.
- Roast the corn and tomatoes for 30-35 minutes until the corn is golden brown on the edges and the tomatoes are wrinkled.
- While the vegetables are in the oven, make the vinaigrette.
Vinaigrette:
- Whisk the garlic, honey, mustard, oregano, kosher salt, black pepper, red wine vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl.
To assemble:
- To assemble the salad, combine the cooled rice and arugula in a large bowl. Pour in half the dressing, toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter.
- Top with the roasted corn, tomatoes and red onions. Sprinkle the toasted walnuts and parsley over the top, drizzling on more dressing right before serving.