Raw Corn and Black Bean Salad with Avocado

Ever had corn so fresh that you were tempted to take a bite out of it, raw, and see what it tasted like? Recently I brought home some fresh, organically-grown corn and decided to do just that. I took a little nibble and it tasted good, a little starchier than I expected, but sweet and juicy. Being a careful person by nature, I didn't dare take more than a bite without checking to see if uncooked corn was safe to eat in larger quantities, and sure enough, people have been whipping up raw creamed corn, soup, chowder (and more chowder), salad (and more salad), and corn chips and, of course, eating it right off the cob. So I decided to try raw corn in the type of salad I would normally make with roasted corn and decrease the seasonings a little to let the freshness of the corn shine through.
The resulting salad was very quick to throw together, light, and filled with the flavors of summer. A couple of words of warning, though. You must use corn that is freshly picked for this to have the best flavor. Older raw corn is still edible, but it'll be tougher and less sweet. Also, some people (and by "people" I mean kids) just don't like raw corn. My daughter E disliked it immediately and demanded that I tell you that she gave this negative 5 Crumbs on her Num-Crumb scale. She claims, "I don't like raw food," though I noticed she had no trouble gobbling up the raw avocado!

Raw Corn and Black Bean Salad with Avocado
(printer-friendly version)
If your corn is not absolutely fresh, I recommend cooking it before removing the kernels. Baking and grilling produce the most flavorful results.
2 ears fresh corn, silks and husks removed
1 1/2 cups (1 can) cooked black beans, drained and rinsed in a colander until water runs clear
1 medium tomato, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (or to taste)
1/4 - 1/2 jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped (to taste)
1 avocado
4 lime wedges, to serve
Cut the corn from the cob: Stand the corn on end in a large mixing bowl and insert a sharp knife just at the bottom of the kernels. Slowly cut all the way to the other end of the corn. Turn the corn and repeat until all the kernels are cut from the cob. (See a short video here.)
Put the corn in a medium mixing bowl. Add the well-rinsed black beans and all remaining ingredients except the avocado and lime wedges. Mix well, cover, and refrigerate a couple of hours to allow flavors to blend.
To serve, peel and slice the avocado. Place one-fourth of the slices on each salad plate, arranging them in a circle, if you wish. Fill the center of each circle with the salad. Serve with wedges of lime to be squeezed over the salad at the table, if desired.
Servings: 4
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 of a recipe (7.4 ounces).
Percent daily values are based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet.
Though MyPoints are calculated using a formula similar to Weight Watchers Points TM, this site has no affiliation with Weight Watchers and does not guarantee the accuracy of this information.
(Without avocado, contains 161 calories, 1g of fat (7% calories from fat), 32g carbohydrates, 9g fiber, 9g protein. My Points: 2.54.)

Other Recipes You May Enjoy:
Labels: CORE*, Eat to Live, Gluten-Free*, Higher-Fat*, Ridiculously Easy
Labels: CORE, eat to live, gluten-free, higher-fat, Ridiculously Easy









28 Comments:
Looks great!! I love adding baby spinach for an awesome lunch time salad.
This is my first time posting, but I love all of your recipes and I have gotten so many ideas. I'm a college student who loves to cook and eat healthy. I'm also from Louisiana (Mandeville)! Thanks for all the great ideas!
Yum! I made raw corn chowder too (at the bottom of the post):
http://eleanordashwood.blogspot.com/2009/07/raw-week-so-far.html
Sound delicious! I am going to the farmer's market tomorrow morning and, hopefully, they will have some fresh corn because I would really like to make this salad for lunch this weekend. Thank you for another great recipe!
i can't wait to try this with fresh corn! i have made a similar salad and added 1-2 stalks chopped celery and a mixture of black and pinto beans.
i love your blog and have played with a lot of your terrific recipes!
thanks, jennifer
Sounds delicious! We decided to try growing corn for the first time this year (we might have enough for one meal), but there was one cob getting big and calling our name. Although the kernels were still small they were tempting, so we too tasted. My daughter devoured the entire cob. Fresh picked, raw corn is pretty something!
Wow, that salad is beautiful. Corn and black beans go together so well. I haven't seen corn here yet (our growing season is well behind yours--we haven't cracked 80 degrees yet this summer), but I can't wait to try a raw corn salad!
That looks delicious! It's the kind of meal I love for dinner. I've eaten corn raw before and it is so sweet when fresh. I'm not crazy on avocado, so I would probably not use it. Instead I might add a touch of extra virgin olive oil with the lime juice. Yum!
Corn season was a bust here in Austin this year, but last year, we had 2 weeks of mounds of raw corn for the purchase at the farmer's market.
My son's record is 6 ears consumed in 1.5hrs. He was 2 at the time. I can confirm there are no ill effects from eating raw corn :)
Yummy!
This looks so good. I'm always looking out for new salad ideas and I LOVE the sound of this one.
:)
fresh corn! score.
Yum! We just made some gazpacho and I was going to roast the corn for garnish. Then I tasted it raw and had to skip the skillet. Fresh organic white corn is INCREDIBLE right now!
This sounds delicious, Susan, and the presentation on the avocado is just beautiful.
Thanks,
moonwatcher
I found your food blog going through a few links. Glad I ran into it. Didn’t know that the food blog/recipe community was so big online. I love your posts!
I was wondering if you would like to exchange links. I’ll drop yours on my site and you drop mine on yours. Email at ramendays@yahoo.com or stop by my site and drop a comment. Let me know if you would like to do a link exchange.
Cheers,
Caleb
http://www.ramendays.com
I love raw corn, and I'm lucky to live near several farms where I can buy fresh-picked corn every morning in the summer. The combination with black beans, tomato and avocado is a real favorite in our house.
Mmmmmm, we're getting corn from the farmer's market soon. I always have avocado and black beans. I need this.
This looks delicious, and I have to say, I bet even my cats would like it (sans the hot stuff). I just discovered they love corn AND beans.
As a kid I ♥ corn right off the cob! Butter sugar corn was grown in our area of New England and the teeny tiny kernels were not starchy at all - just light, fresh and juicy. I'd always try to find the smallest cobs and hope for the tiniest kernels possible - then try to pick off one kernel at a time on the ride back home from the farm stand.
I think my mom was ahead of her time, back then our neighbors used to bring up big giant pots of water to boil their corn for 30 minutes and my mom would be horrified, she would gently steam ours in the tiniest bit of water for about 3 minutes.
When I was a kid I helped my mom cut corn off the cob for freezing, and we always ate some of the raw corn while we were doing it. Great combination!
Hello,
I stumbled upon your blog by accident and am glad I did! This salad looks great! I love corn and black bean salad, but I always cook corn. I should try using fresh (raw) corn next time!
mmmm Looks like a black bean salad from La Dolce Vegan that I make all the time. (But with avocado--even better!) I make this salad all year round, so I use frozen corn... which I suppose is raw-ish. I run it under hot water and that's usually enough to de-thaw it. And because it was frozen, it's quite juicy and sweet.
This looks great! I've had kind of bad luck with corn lately - it's either awesome or really horrible. I'll have to try this one out though, it looks great!
That looks GREAT!! I will have to make that some time. I love the way that made a circle with avocado aroung the salad.
Mmm I love raw corn!! And this salad looks delicious.
your so inspiring! even if I dont get to making all your recipes right away.. any time I want to try something new I come to you!!
I am making the tofu and lobster mushrooms with ginger...... and cant wait!!
Thanks for all the great recipes! I am soaking my black beans tonight so I can make THIS dish.
This was AMAZING! I had to work really hard to leave enough for my lunch the next day rather than eating it all at once!
What a flavorful combination! Thanks for sharing.
I'm fresh out of uncooked corn, but that won't stop me. Love corn and beans together. Thanks for your wonderful recipes!!
Thanks for posting this recipe! It was wonderful. I substituted the black beans with chickpeas. It was surprisingly tasty! Thanks again.
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