By: Molly Moss
Dairy Free or Dairy Free Adjustable, Gluten Free or GF Adjustable, Salads, Sides, , , ,

Spicy Corn Tomato Salad with Anchovies

Here’s a tomato salad to celebrate the height of tomato season! Sweet grilled corn, flavor-packed summer tomatoes, roasted garlic, spicy Calabrian chilies, fresh basil, and lots of briny salty anchovies–It doesn’t get much better than this! Not a fan of anchovies? You can certainly omit them, but I recommend trying adding just a few. They add a ton of umami and welcomed salinity that really amplifies the flavor of the tomatoes.

Go Ahead, Don’t Measure

This is definitely a taste as you go kinda recipe. You could certainly measure everything down to the teaspoon, but I recommend trusting yourself! Add more anchovies if you want more salt, more Calabrian if you want extra spice, or more lemon if you need extra acid. This tomato salad is really a celebration of the quality of each ingredient, so make sure you source the best that you can find.

fresh summer tomatoes

Sourcing Tomatoes

Farmers markets this time of year should have a plethora of tasty tomatoes. If you can, ask to taste the tomatoes before buying. Opt for the best tomato you taste, rather than sticking to just cherry tomatoes. If you find a larger tomato that is extremely flavorful, feel free to use those instead. I love quality cherry tomatoes because they are bright and sweet, but any tomato will work in this recipe.

Spicy Corn Tomato Salad with Anchovies
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Spicy Corn Tomato Salad with Anchovies

Course: SaladsDifficulty: Easy
Servings

4

servings
Total time

1

hour 

15

minutes

Here’s a tomato salad to celebrate the height of tomato season! Sweet grilled corn, flavor-packed summer tomatoes, spicy Calabrian chilies, fresh basil, and lots of briny salty anchovies–It doesn’t get much better than this!

Ingredients

  • 1 small head of garlic

  • 2 ears of corn, shucked

  • 1.5 pounds of cherry tomatoes

  • Lemon Zest

  • 6-8 anchovy filets, very finely chopped

  • 1.5 tbsp crushed calabrian chilies

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • Large handful of basil, torn

  • Salt, pepper, and chili flakes to taste

Directions

  • Preheat the oven to 350. If you have a grill, preheat that as well.
  • Cut the top ⅓ off the head of garlic. Rub with olive oil and wrap completely with foil. Place the foil package in the oven and cook for 45 minutes-1 hour, until the garlic cloves are very soft and have a wonderfully nutty aroma.
  • Coat the corn with olive oil, the zest of 1 lemon, salt, pepper, and chili flakes to taste.
  • On a preheated grill, or a cast iron pan, cook the corn for about 5 minutes, flipping a few times. You want to retain a lot of the corn’s freshness, while still getting a bit of char. Remove and set aside.
  • Slice the tomatoes in half (or quarters) and place in a large bowl. Cut the corn off the cob and add to the bowl as well.
  • When the garlic is ready, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. When the garlic is cool enough to touch, squeeze the garlic flesh out of the skins into a small bowl. Add some crunchy sea salt to the bowl and use a fork to mash the garlic into a paste. Add the paste to the bowl.
  • Add the calabrian chilies, the zest of 1 lemon, the lemon juice, anchovies, and olive oil to the bowl. Season very generously with salt and freshly ground pepper (like a LOT of pepper) and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  • Add the torn basil and toss once more before serving.

Notes

  • There should be enough broth for about 3 cod filets, but you can certainly keep the same recipe for just two filets.
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