Corn and Shishito Salad

with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

Corn and peppers are a classic pairing, but it usually involves a lot of corn and not much pepper. This dish flips the script, putting the sweet (and slightly smoky) shishito front and center. I try to use the smallest shishitos I can find—their flavor is more pronounced—or you can substitute Padrón peppers if you can’t find shishitos. You can cook corn any way you like for this salad, but I prefer to roast un-shucked cobs over a hot grill until the husks are blackened all over, which allows the kernels inside to both steam and lightly char.

Red Pepper Vinaigrette

• 2 large red bell peppers
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Char the peppers over the flame of a gas burner (or under a broiler), turning with tongs until blackened and blistered all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, cover with a plate, and let stand for 15 minutes. Scrape off the skins with a paring knife and wipe the flesh clean with a paper towel. Discard the stem and seeds. Finely dice ¼ cup of the roasted pepper and set aside. Roughly chop the remaining roasted pepper (about ¾ cup) and place in a blender. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, paprika, and cumin and blend until smooth. Scrape the vinaigrette into a bowl and stir in the finely diced peppers. Season with ¾ teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. The vinaigrette can be made a day or two ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

For Serving

• 5 ounces small shishito chiles, stemmed and cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 3 cups cooked corn kernels (grilled, roasted, or sautéed)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, plus finely grated lime zest for serving
• ¼ cup mint leaves
• ¼ cup basil leaves
• ¼ cup thinly sliced scallion greens
• 6 ounces baby arugula (about 6 cups)
• 1 cup Red Pepper Vinaigrette
• Flaky sea salt

Heat a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over high heat. Add the shishito chiles and cook until blistered, about 2 minutes. Add the olive oil and corn and cook, stirring, until the corn is warmed through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and season with kosher salt and pepper. Let cool slightly, then stir in the lime juice, mint, basil, and scallions.

Arrange the arugula in four shallow bowls. Drizzle the vinaigrette on the arugula and top with the corn mixture. Drizzle with olive oil and grate some lime zest over. Season with flaky salt and pepper and serve.

The Takeaway

We puree cheese or soft-boiled eggs into a dressing to give it a rich, creamy texture, but you can also use vegetables to achieve a similar result. Here, I puree roasted red peppers to make an emulsified vinaigrette, then stir in some more diced peppers to give it a chunkier texture. The dressing is almost sauce-like, and you should treat it as such, especially with fish.