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

Toasted seeds keep the soft salad honest

A simple corn, tomato and peach salad with two kinds of toasted seeds for crunch. The seeds are seasoned while warm so they taste of more than oil.

  • 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 25 August 2026
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Corn tomato peach salad scattered with toasted sunflower and sesame seeds
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Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Per serving
255kcal
Effort
Easy

Soft ingredients need a crisp interruption. Sunflower seeds and sesame take four minutes in a pan, and the little bit of heat wakes up their oil so they taste nutty rather than dusty. Add them to sweet corn, tomatoes and peaches and every forkful has somewhere to go.

Toast the seeds before the corn, in the same pan, and season them while they are hot. Salt clings to the warm surface. Once they cool, it falls to the bottom of the bowl and leaves the seeds bland.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Seed crunch

Salad

Equipment

  • Large frying pan
  • Wide serving bowl

Method

  1. Toast and season the seeds

    Put the sunflower and sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat. Shake every thirty seconds. When the sesame seeds start to jump and the sunflower seeds show gold edges, add the cumin and salt for the final thirty seconds.

    Tip everything into a small bowl straight away. The seeds will scorch if they stay in the pan, even with the heat off.

    Hands stirring cumin toasted sunflower and sesame seeds in a frying pan

  2. Char the corn in the seed pan

    Put the pan back over high heat. Add one tablespoon of oil and the corn. Cook for eight minutes, stirring three or four times, until the kernels have dark marks. A few will stick; scrape them up once they have coloured.

  3. Make the lime dressing

    Put the lime juice and remaining oil in a wide serving bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk with a fork. The hot corn will finish the dressing when it joins the bowl, so it does not need to emulsify perfectly now.

  4. Add tomatoes and peaches

    Put the tomatoes and peaches into the bowl. Add the warm corn and lift everything gently. Stirring hard will break the tomato skins and make the peach slices disappear.

  5. Scatter over the crunch

    Add the mint and half the seeds. Fold once. Spoon the salad onto a platter and scatter the rest on top, where they stay dry and visible.

  6. Eat while the seeds crackle

    Serve within thirty minutes. If you need to wait longer, keep the seeds separate and add them at the table. The salad itself can sit, but the point of the seeds is the contrast.

Corn tomatoes peaches sunflower seeds sesame lime mint and cumin arranged
Small seeds carry more crunch than a handful of croutons and take less time.

How to toast seeds without burning them

Use medium heat for the seeds, not the high heat you need for corn. Sunflower seeds contain enough oil to burn quickly once they colour, while sesame seeds can go from pale to black before the larger seeds are ready. Keep the pan moving and take it off the heat as soon as you smell toast.

Season at the end. Cumin burns if it sits in the pan for four minutes, but thirty seconds is enough to bloom it.

The crunchy part is not decoration

Tomato, peach and corn all have similar softness. Without a different texture, the salad becomes sweet and pleasant and then a bit tiring. The seeds make you chew, which makes the next bite feel new.

If you are serving this with bread, still keep the seeds. Bread gives soak and substance; the seeds give contrast.

Nutrition

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

NutrientPer serving
Calories 255 kcal
Protein 7 g
Carbohydrate 31 g
Fibre 5 g
Fat 13 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use only sunflower seeds?
Yes. Use 60 g sunflower seeds. Sesame adds aroma and a smaller crunch, but it is not essential.
Can I make the seeds ahead?
Yes, up to a week in an airtight jar at room temperature. Cool them fully before closing the jar.
Can I use lemon instead of lime?
Yes. Use half a lemon first and add more if the tomatoes are very sweet.
What protein goes with this?
White beans, grilled tofu or halloumi. Add the beans with the corn; keep halloumi warm and serve alongside.

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