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Charred corn, tomato and peach salad with chilli oil
youryum.com/recipes/charred-corn-tomato-and-peach-salad-with-chilli-oil · serves 4

Sweet fruit, smoky corn, hot oil

Chilli oil gives ripe peaches and tomatoes a sharp edge, while charred corn adds the savoury part. Keep the oil warm, not smoking.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten free
  • Dairy free
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 20 August 2026
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Charred corn peach tomato salad with red chilli oil and herbs
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Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Per serving
232kcal
Effort
Easy

A ripe peach can take heat, but it needs heat in a controlled amount. Pour smoking oil over it and you get bitterness. Warm oil infused with chilli, garlic and sesame gives you the heat without cooking the fruit into jam. The oil should brush the peach rather than coat it; you are looking for little red flecks and a warm finish, not a layer of grease.

This is the salad for the bottle of chilli oil that has been sitting in your cupboard waiting for a use more interesting than noodles. It takes ten minutes to make from scratch, and it is far better than a supermarket oil because you can stop the garlic before it burns.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Chilli oil

Salad

Equipment

  • Small saucepan
  • Large frying pan

Method

  1. Start the chilli oil cold

    Put the oil, sliced garlic, chilli flakes, sesame and salt in a small saucepan. Set it over low heat. Warm for four to five minutes, watching the garlic rather than the clock. When the slices are pale gold and you can smell them, take the pan off the heat.

    Garlic continues cooking in hot oil. If it is brown in the pan, it will be bitter in the bowl.

    Warm chilli oil with sliced garlic sesame and flakes beside sliced peaches

  2. Char the corn

    Heat a large dry frying pan until very hot. Add the corn in one layer and leave it alone for two minutes. Stir, then cook for another four minutes until some kernels are dark at the edges.

    Fresh corn releases a little milk as it cooks. That is useful here; it catches on the hot surface and gives the kernels a toasted sweetness.

  3. Build the sharp base

    Put the lime juice, zest and rice vinegar in a wide serving bowl. Add the spring onions and a pinch of salt. Leave it for five minutes so the onions soften and the dressing stops tasting like three separate liquids.

  4. Add tomatoes and peaches

    Put the fruit in the bowl and turn it gently. Do not add the hot oil yet. The acid needs a few minutes with the tomatoes to draw out enough juice to make a proper dressing.

  5. Pour in the chilli oil

    Check the oil with a finger against the outside of the pan. It should be warm, not aggressively hot. Pour it over the bowl in a thin stream, scraping in the garlic and sesame. Add the corn and toss from underneath.

  6. Finish with coriander

    Scatter over the coriander and taste. The salt in the oil may be enough, but fruit varies; add a pinch if the salad tastes sweet and quiet. Serve within half an hour. At the table, put the saucepan of extra oil beside the bowl rather than tipping it all in now; different peaches can take different amounts of heat.

What's in it

Nutrition, buying and storage notes for the ingredients this recipe leans on.

Plum tomatoes 94.5 g water Cherry tomatoes 94.5 g water Tomatillos 94.5 g water
Corn peaches tomatoes lime garlic chilli flakes sesame and coriander arranged
The chilli oil ingredients look small, but they carry the whole dressing.

Warm is the important temperature

Hot oil is good for blooming dried chilli and bad for ripe fruit. The sweet spot is the temperature at which the garlic has softened and the sesame smells toasted, but the oil does not hiss when it hits the bowl. If it is smoking, let it stand for five minutes.

The oil also carries flavour into the tomato juice. That is why it goes in after the fruit has had a few minutes with lime and vinegar. Pour it on too early and most of the dressing sits at the bottom.

How hot should it be?

Start with half a teaspoon of chilli flakes if you do not know the brand. You can add more to the finished oil, but you cannot take heat back out once it has soaked into the peaches. A sliced fresh red chilli gives a brighter heat and more crunch, though it is less evenly distributed.

For children, leave the chilli out of the saucepan and put it on the table. The garlic-sesame oil is still worth making on its own.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 232 kcal
Protein 4 g
Carbohydrate 29 g
Fibre 4 g
Fat 13 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use bought chilli oil?
Yes. Use two tablespoons to start and add it after the lime dressing. Bought oils vary in salt and heat, so taste before adding more.
Can I grill the corn instead?
Yes. Grill the whole ears until marked, then cut off the kernels. The smoke is stronger and the kernels stay a little firmer.
Can I replace peaches?
Nectarines are the closest swap. Plums work if they are not too soft; mango makes the salad sweeter and needs more vinegar.
What should I serve with it?
Grilled tofu, prawns or plain rice. The salad already has enough oil and acid to act as a side sauce for something simply cooked.

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