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

Tahini makes summer fruit feel like lunch

The smoky sweetness of corn and peach against a lemon tahini dressing. Creamy without dairy and substantial enough beside flatbread.

  • 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 21 August 2026
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Charred corn peach tomato salad with creamy tahini lemon dressing
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Prep
20 min
Cook
10 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
Per serving
295kcal
Effort
Easy

Tahini is usually paired with roasted vegetables, but it is especially good with things that are sweet and wet. Lemon cuts the paste, cold water loosens it, and the smoky corn gives the dressing somewhere savoury to land. Peaches make the whole thing feel like late summer rather than a bowl of grains in disguise.

Make the dressing thinner than you think. Tahini seizes when water first hits it, then loosens suddenly. Keep adding water until it falls from the spoon in a ribbon; a thick paste will drag the peach skins and leave bald patches on the tomatoes.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Dressing

Salad

Equipment

  • Large frying pan
  • Small bowl or jug

Method

  1. Loosen the tahini slowly

    Whisk the tahini, lemon juice, garlic and salt in a bowl. It will thicken into a stiff, grainy paste. Add the water one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition. Around the fourth spoonful it should suddenly turn smooth and pale. Add enough extra water to make it pourable.

    If it splits, keep whisking. If it is bitter, the tahini is old; more lemon and salt will help but will not change the paste.

    Hands whisking pale tahini lemon dressing in a small bowl

  2. Char the corn

    Heat the frying pan over high heat. Add the corn with the olive oil and cook for seven to eight minutes, stirring only when the underside is browned. The kernels should have a mixture of yellow, brown and one or two nearly black spots.

  3. Let the corn cool briefly

    Tip it onto a plate and leave it for five minutes. It can be warm when it meets the salad, but it should not be hot enough to wilt the mint or cook the tomato. This pause also lets the browned milk stuck to the pan firm up, so it lands on the corn instead of watering the dressing.

  4. Dress the vegetables lightly

    Put the tomatoes, peaches and cucumber in a wide bowl. Add half the tahini dressing and lift the fruit through it with your hands. Start with less dressing than you think; the tomato juice will thin it further.

  5. Add corn and mint

    Fold in the corn and mint. Taste a peach with the dressing. Add lemon if it tastes heavy, water if the sauce is clinging too thickly, or salt if the sweetness is louder than the savoury notes.

  6. Serve with the rest of the dressing

    Spoon the salad onto plates and drizzle the remaining dressing over the top. It is better this way than mixed into the bowl, because the dressing makes a clean stripe on the plate and the fruit remains visible.

Tahini lemon garlic corn tomatoes peaches cucumber mint and olive oil
Tahini, lemon and water become a dressing in less than a minute.

The dressing should be loose

People often stop whisking when tahini first thickens, because it looks as though it has gone wrong. That thick stage is normal. Water is the thing that turns sesame paste into sauce, but it has to be added patiently or you get lumps that never quite disappear.

For a salad, the finished dressing should be thinner than hummus and thicker than cream. Drag a spoon through it: the line should close within two seconds. If it sits there, add water.

Make it a plate, not a puddle

Tomatoes give off a lot of water once salted. That water is useful, but it can overwhelm a thick tahini dressing. Cut the tomatoes shortly before serving and keep them in a colander for five minutes if they are exceptionally juicy.

Peaches are more delicate. Lift them rather than stirring, and do not use a small deep bowl. A wide bowl gives your hands room to turn the pieces without crushing them.

Nutrition

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

NutrientPer serving
Calories 295 kcal
Protein 7 g
Carbohydrate 34 g
Fibre 6 g
Fat 16 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use a blender for the dressing?
You can, but a whisk is faster for this amount. A blender makes the tahini very smooth and adds air, which makes the dressing look thicker than it is.
Can I make the dressing ahead?
Yes, up to four days ahead. It thickens in the fridge, so loosen it with water and taste for salt before serving.
What can I use instead of mint?
Flat-leaf parsley is the safest swap. Basil is sweeter and works if the peaches are not overripe.
Is this suitable for a packed lunch?
Yes, if you keep the dressing separate. The dressed vegetables are good for a day, but the bread should be packed separately too.

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