Oishii!

My notes: Need I say more? When you are in the mood to give somebody a butt whooping, this is what you serve them. And they’ll thank you for it. Kari made this salsa for us last summer us before I tested it out on myself.  She unmercifully did not turn down the heat. “I knew you could handle it,” she said with a knowing eye and a .  Yes, thanks Kari for sharing what I consider to be the best salsa I have ever tasted. You really kicked my Midwestern bootie!

In my version (below) I turned down the heat a bit and upped the ratio of corn and tomatoes to avocados. This salsa is a gorgeous and healthy way to incorporate plenty of fresh summer produce into your cooking. It’s essentially a pico de gallo with avocado, sauteed corn, and a little cumin added in.

Kari’s Kick Ass Corn and Avocado Salsa (recipe adapted from Kari Hornfeldt)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• fresh corn cut from 3 cobs
• kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 large cloves minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 2 medium sized jalapeno peppers, minced with seeds (use more jalapenos for extra heat)
• 1 cup chopped cilantro, packed
• 3 avocados, chopped

Directions

Do ahead up to a day before: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté corn. Some of the kernels will start to brown. Add kosher salt to taste. Transfer to a medium sized bowl to cool. (shortcut: use 2 1/2 cups Trader Joe’s frozen roasted corn.)

Make the dressing: In a small bowl whisk together the apple cider vinegar, lime juice, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and cumin.

In a large mixing bowl combine corn, garlic, tomato, red onion, jalapenos, and cilantro.  Add dressing to the other ingredients and mix. Let the flavors meld for at least a half hour.

Just before serving: Add chopped avocado. Toss lightly and serve with tortilla chips.

Ideas:  If you like this recipe try Guacamole Salad. I also enjoy Salsa Verde. Check out my top 9 recipes that use fresh herbs.

What’s oishii? “Oishii” (pronounced “oy she”) is the Japanese word for delicious. I love sharing great recipes I discover from popular restaurants, cookbooks, food magazines (Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, etc.), tv shows, friends, family, and other blogs. I also develop my own. Please contact me if there is a recipe you would like the test kitchen to consider: michaelwbeyer@hotmail.com

Now it’s your turn. Do you have a salsa recipe that would kick our butts? If you enjoyed this post, we would love to hear from you! Please leave feedback in the comments section below. -Michael

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