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–+ servings

Summer Shishito Pepper Salad

Raw corn, bright flavors and quickly sautéed shishito peppers make this salad one of my summer favorites. It's slightly spicy, earthy from the walnuts and so filling. Proving once and again that an amazing salad doesn't always start with lettuce.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 2 servings

Equipment

Ingredients

For the basil oil
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1 splash of white wine vinegar
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt, to taste
For the corn mixture
  • 2 ears of corn
  • 2 jalapeños
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 lemon
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the shishito peppers
  • 3 cups shishito peppers
  • 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup walnut halves
  • Diamond Crystal kosher salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan, for topping

Instructions 

  1. Begin by making the basil oil. Blanch 1 cup of basil by adding the leaves to a colander. Submerge the colander in boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately transfer the leaves to a bowl of ice water.
  2. Put the blanched basil in a small blender, along with 1/4 cup of olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
  3. Cut the corn kernels from the cob, finely chop 2 jalapenos (remove the seeds if you don't like spice!) and finely dice the red onion. Use a chiffonade cut to chop 1 cup of mint, and use a microplane to grate 3 garlic cloves and zest the lemon. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl.
  4. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the corn mixture, and add a 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Next, remove the stems from 3 cups of shishito peppers and cut them crosswise into circular pieces, each no thicker than 1 cm.
  6. Place a pan on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peppers to the pan. Add 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
  7. Add 1/4 cup of walnuts to the pan, toss to coat and cook another 2 minutes, or until the walnuts are toasted. Season with salt to taste and remove from the pan.
  8. To plate the salad, evenly spread the corn mixture onto your plate. Top with a generous serving of the shishito peppers, sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan then drizzle the basil oil on top. Toss and serve!
Serving: 12 ozCalories: 293kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 13gFat: 12g