This summer shishito pepper salad has it all – sweet raw corn, spicy jalapeños, rich and crunchy walnuts and bright, sautéed shishito peppers. It’s a symphony of flavors and textures and it’s one of the reasons I love salads. I love a salad that is bright, filled with contrast and filled with color. And don’t tell me that salads need lettuce – some of my all-time favorite salads are vegetable-packed, but there’s not a leafy green in sight.
This is my ode to summer and my perfect summer salad. It’s mostly raw, a perfect mixture of sweet-savory-and-spicy, and it doesn’t make eating vegetables feel like a chore. It’s perfect as a side dish or as the whole meal, because after all – a salad can truly be anything you want it to be.
Table of contents
Ingredients for this shishito pepper summer salad
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 dash of white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 2 ears of corn
- 2 jalapeños
- 1 small red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup mint leaves loosely packed
- 1 lemon
- 3 cups shishito peppers
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup walnut halves
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan, for topping
How to bring this recipe together
- Begin by making the basil oil. Blanch the 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.
- Put the blanched basil in a small blender, along with 1/4 cup olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
- Cut the corn kernels from the cob, finely chop the jalapeno (remove the seeds if you don’t like spice!) and finely dice the red onion. Use a chiffonade cut to chop the mint, and use a microplane to grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl.
- Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the corn mixture, and add a glug of olive oil. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Next remove the stems from the shishito peppers and cut them cross-wise into circular pieces, each no thicker than 1 cm.
- Put a pan on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peppers to the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- Put the walnuts in 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.
- 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!
Looking for similar recipes to this shishito summer salad?
I have a few – after all, I love salads! Here are a few recent salads from the site:
Spring Snap Peas & Radishes with a Fried Egg
Edamame Salad with Parmesan, Basil & Mint
Lemon Tahini Salad with Radishes, Dates & Sesame Seeds
And that’s it for this shishito pepper summer salad!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
- 1 dash of white wine vinegar
- Salt to taste
- 2 ears of corn
- 2 jalapeños
- 1 small red onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
- 1 lemon
- 3 cups shishito peppers
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup walnut halves
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan, for topping
Instructions
- Begin by making the basil oil. Blanch the 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.
- Put the blanched basil in a small blender, along with 1/4 cup olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
- Cut the corn kernels from the cob, finely chop the jalapeno (remove the seeds if you don't like spice!) and finely dice the red onion. Use a chiffonade cut to chop the mint, and use a microplane to grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl.
- Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the corn mixture, and add a glug of olive oil. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Next remove the stems from the shishito peppers and cut them cross-wise into circular pieces, each no thicker than 1 cm.
- Put a pan on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peppers to the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the 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.
- 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!
Comments
Hello! Do you eat this as the “main event” or as a side? What would you serve it with if you were using it as a side? Thanks!
Hello! I tend to use this as a main-event dish but pair it with some tofu as well. If I have it as a side, I personally love serving it with a lemony flakey white fish that has been slow roasted in the oven. My boyfriend adores bringing this salad to a summer cook out, so he says it’s amazing with grilled chicken as well. Hope this helps!
Hi there.- made this in early spring with some edits (no fresh corn, used pesto I froze in early fall without the cheese in it, didn’t have fresh mint from the garden ) and was better than expected – the walnuts add a nice layer of complexity. Will definitely make again in the height of summer to spec. However, wanted to point out you never say what to do with the basil oil…it says to put it to the side then it’s never mentioned again. Thought you might want to know!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thank you so much for pointing that out, I’ve updated the recipe card 🙂
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