5 Reasons To Try This Salad Recipe
Made with chunks of buttery avocado, juicy ripe tomatoes, fresh corn kernels, sweet onion, and cilantro, this salad is a favorite at our house during the summer. Here’s why:
- It makes the most of fresh seasonal produce when it’s at its peak for flavor.
- When served with simple summer mains like grilled steak, chicken, or fish, it makes a complete meal.
- The creamy lime dressing is quick and easy to make and doesn’t overpower the flavor of the salad ingredients.
- Its contrasting colors make a beautiful presentation on the table.
- It’s easy to cut the recipe in half to serve just two people or scale up the quantities to serve six or more.
Key Ingredients
Selecting the key ingredients is the first step to making a successful avocado and tomato salad. Here are our recommendations, along with a few shopping tips and potential substitutions:
- Avocados: There are many varieties of avocados, but the California-grown Hass is the most popular and widely available. You may find them in stores year-round, but peak season for Hass avocados runs spring through fall. To avoid waste, stores usually sell avocados that aren’t ripe yet, so plan ahead and let your avocados ripen at room temperature. When shopping, look for plump avocados with the button of the stem still in place. Avoid fruit with blemishes and dark spots. Avocados are ripe when they yield to gentle pressure (see more tips below).
- Tomatoes: Choose a firm flesh tomato that holds the seeds in place when sliced. Beefsteak is our go-to for this dish just for that reason. Avoid the “tomatoes on the vine” that are so popular in stores these days as they tend to lose their seeds easily once cut.
- Corn: The sweet flavor of fresh-shucked corn sliced from the cob is arguably the best choice for a salad, but defrosted frozen corn is a perfectly acceptable alternative. Look for brands labeled “baby” or “super sweet” for the best flavor and texture.
- Sweet Onion: Look for onion varieties labeled as sweet such as Vidalia, Walla Walla, or Maui. Avoid any that have soft spots or have sprouted and store them in a cool dry place until you’re ready to use them. If you cut into your onion and find that it’s a little too pungent, try soaking the slices in cool water for a few minutes. This helps to mellow that overpowering flavor by diluting the sulfur compounds. Tip: It works for shallots too.
- Cilantro: The fragrant, herbaceous flavor of cilantro makes it our go-to herb for this salad, but we understand that not everyone is a fan. Fresh chives would be our second choice, with minced Italian parsley being a close runner-up.
- Lime: Fresh-squeezed lime juice is our choice for the light, creamy dressing for this salad, but you could definitely use lemon juice instead.
How to Make Avocado and Tomato Salad
Here’s an overview of how to make this dish. The complete ingredient list, quantities, and detailed instructions can be found in the printable version of the recipe below.
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Add the tomatoes, corn, onion, and cilantro and toss to coat them with dressing, being careful not to break up the tomatoes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the avocados and gently toss to combine.
- Taste again and adjust the seasoning if needed, then arrange the salad on a serving platter or individual plates.
- Sprinkle with a bit of crushed red pepper if desired and garnish with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Ripe avocados have a delicate, creamy texture that breaks down easily if handled too roughly. This won’t affect the flavor of your salad, but it definitely doesn’t look very nice. To minimize this, always make avocados one of the last ingredients you add to a salad, and when you toss them with dressing, do it gently and carefully.
Expert Tips for Handling Avocados
Avocados are both delicious and nutritious, but it requires a little know-how to handle them properly. Here are a few tips:
Ripening
Unripe (firm and green) avocados can take 4 to 5 days to fully ripen at room temperature and for best quality, we do recommend letting them ripen at their own pace. That being said, you can speed up the process by placing avocados in a brown paper bag along with a single banana or apple. The ethylene gas produced by these fruits should shorten the avocado’s ripening time to 2 to 3 days. You’ll know your avocado is ripe when it yields to gentle pressure. If you’ve accidentally let it get soft, you’re better off using it in a spread or a dip rather than a salad.
Storing
Uncut, ripe avocados can be stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Cut fruit should be drizzled with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, then placed in an airtight container and used within a day.
Ripe avocados can also be mashed or puréed with some added lemon juice and frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost pureed avocados in the refrigerator and use them for guacamole or a salad dressing. Freezing will cause a slight loss of flavor and the texture will be somewhat less creamy and a little watery.
Cutting/Prepping
Here’s how to easily slice or cut up an avocado.
- Slice the avocado lengthwise, all the way to the pit, and all the way around.
- Gently twist the two halves apart, then give the pit a single whack with your knife so that the blade sinks in at least 1/8 inch. Twist the knife a little and the pit should rotate enough that you can pop it free and remove it.
- Carefully run a spoon along the inside of the avocado skin to loosen the flesh and remove it in one piece.
- Place the avocado half, cut side down on a board, and slice or cut as needed.
- If you don’t plan to serve cut avocados immediately, and drizzle them with lemon or lime juice to prevent browning.
More Like This
We have two other salads we love to make when avocados are at their peak. Our Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Creamy Tarragon Dressing is a simple green salad topped with slices of avocado, cooked shrimp, and a homemade buttermilk dressing flavored with fragrant fresh tarragon.
The other is our Shrimp Cocktail Salad, which uses a modified version of a classic, horseradish-based cocktail sauce as dressing. It’s one of our “what we cook when we don’t feel like cooking” favorites.
Avocado and Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb ripe beefsteak tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
- 1 cup fresh corn kernels, (or frozen and defrosted)
- 1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, (or chives and/or flat-leaf parsley )
- 2 Hass avocados, cut into chunks (see notes)
- salt and pepper
- Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, optional
For the dressing:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 small clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Add the dressing ingredients; olive oil, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, and sugar to a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Add the tomatoes, corn, onion, and cilantro and toss to coat them with dressing, being careful not to break up the tomatoes.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the avocados and gently toss to combine (see notes).
- Taste again and adjust the seasoning if needed, then arrange the salad on a serving platter or individual plates.
- Sprinkle with a bit of crushed red pepper if desired and garnish with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
How to Cut An Avocado
- Slice the avocado lengthwise, all the way to the pit, and all the way around.
- Gently twist the two halves apart, then give the pit a single whack with your knife so that the blade sinks in at least 1/8 inch. Twist the knife a little and the pit should rotate enough to pop it free and remove it.
- Carefully run a spoon along the inside of the avocado skin to loosen the flesh and remove it in one piece.
- Place the avocado half, cut side down on a board, and slice or cut as needed.
Michael Best says
Great recipe especially for this time of the year!!