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

The late-summer salad that needs a hot pan

Corn, tomatoes and peaches brought together by lemon, olive oil and a handful of herbs. The corn gets charred; everything else stays fresh.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • 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 18 August 2026
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Charred corn salad with peaches tomatoes lemon and fresh herbs
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Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Per serving
214kcal
Effort
Easy

Peaches and tomatoes are both soft, sweet and full of juice, so they need something with a little smoke to stop the salad tasting like a bowl of fruit. Corn is the answer. Give it five minutes in a properly hot pan until the kernels pick up dark patches, then fold it through the things that must stay cold and juicy.

Make this when the corn is good enough to eat raw. The pan is there for char, not rescue. If the tomatoes taste of the refrigerator and the peaches are hard, wait a day.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Equipment

  • Large cast-iron or stainless-steel frying pan

Method

  1. Soften the onion in lemon

    Put the sliced onion in the serving bowl with the lemon juice and half the salt. Leave it while you cook the corn. Ten minutes in acid takes the raw edge off the onion and seasons the dressing at the same time.

    Do not use a whole red onion unless it is unusually small. The onion should sharpen the salad, not make every mouthful taste like onion.

    Hands slicing peaches and tomatoes beside a bowl of lemony red onion

  2. Char the corn

    Heat the dry pan over high heat until a drop of water skitters across it. Rub the corn with one tablespoon of oil and put the ears in. Cook for eight to ten minutes, turning every minute or so, until the kernels are bright yellow with a few properly blackened patches.

    Some kernels will pop. That is fine. The mistake is turning the heat down when the first spots appear; pale corn gives you sweetness but no contrast.

  3. Cut it off the cob

    Stand each ear upright in a wide bowl and run a sharp knife down the sides. Cut close to the cob, then turn it and keep going. The bowl catches most of the kernels and the milk that comes off the cob, which belongs in the salad.

    If your corn is older and the kernels feel tough, cut them a little deeper so you take the tender inner part too.

  4. Season the fruit

    Add the tomatoes and peaches to the onion. Pour over the remaining oil, the lemon zest and the rest of the salt. Turn gently with your hands; a spoon bruises the peaches and makes them shed their juice before the corn arrives.

  5. Fold and taste

    Add the warm corn and herbs. Lift everything from underneath rather than stirring in circles. Taste one tomato with a little corn and peach: it should be bright, smoky and salty enough. Add another pinch of salt if the fruit is fully ripe, because sweetness needs more seasoning than you expect.

  6. Serve before it goes soft

    Give it five minutes on the counter, then serve. The corn can be warm, but the salad should not sit for an hour; the tomato juice will turn the bottom of the bowl into a thin dressing and the peach edges will lose their shape.

What's in it

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

Plum tomatoes 94.5 g water Tomatillos 94.5 g water
Fresh corn tomatoes peaches red onion lemon and herbs ready for salad
The ingredients should look good before the pan is switched on.

The order matters

There are three temperatures in the bowl: the onion at room temperature, the fruit cool but not fridge-cold, and the corn warm from the pan. That small range is why the salad tastes like a composed thing rather than chopped produce dressed in oil. It also keeps the lemon from tasting harsh, because cold citrus reads sharper than it does at the counter.

Put cold tomatoes straight from the fridge next to hot corn and the corn cools instantly. Leave the tomatoes on the counter for half an hour first. It is a small step, but tomatoes have little flavour when they are cold enough to numb your tongue.

How to choose the fruit

The peach should give slightly at the shoulder and smell like a peach. A firm one can ripen in a paper bag, but it will not do that in the twenty minutes before dinner. Nectarines work in exactly the same quantity and do not need peeling.

For tomatoes, use two or three large beefsteaks, a pile of small ones, or whatever is ripe. The only bad choice is a watery tomato with no smell. If that is what the shop has, make the crispy chickpea version instead and let the texture do more work.

Nutrition

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

NutrientPer serving
Calories 214 kcal
Protein 5 g
Carbohydrate 31 g
Fibre 5 g
Fat 10 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I make this ahead?
Char the corn and make the lemony onion up to four hours ahead. Keep the tomatoes and peaches separate, then combine everything shortly before eating.
Can I use canned corn?
Drain it and dry it very well, then use a wide pan. It will brown in spots but will not have the same juicy snap as fresh corn.
What herbs are best?
Basil is the most obvious match, mint makes the peach taste colder and fresher, and parsley gives a cleaner finish. A mix is better than a large amount of one.
Is this filling enough for dinner?
As written it is a generous side for four. Add white beans, mozzarella or warm flatbread if you want it to carry the meal.

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