Fresh Corn, Tomato, Avocado and Basil Salad

You can add other things to what I’ve suggested here: Raw peppers (sweet or hot), roasted peppers, scallions or diced red onion, or swap out another herb for the basil, such as flat leaf parsley, tarragon, dill, chives, or oregano, to taste. Coarsely chopped pitted olives would work well, either green or black, as does crumbled feta cheese or cubes of fried halloumi.

If you want to make it a main course, bite-sized pieces of cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, shrimp, peeled hard-cooked eggs, or smoked tofu could be added. If you’ve got it, lobster or crab meat would be amazing.

Although it’s not often discussed, one of the secrets to a good salad, especially one that has just a few ingredients, it a good extra-virgin olive oil. The country of origin, and the price, aren’t always indicators of good-quality. In the U.S., California Olive Ranch produces reliably good oil, as does Fairway in New York. A well-respected friend in the food business swears by the Greek olive oil at Trader Joe’s, and Costco’s Kirkland olive oil gets high marks from fans, too. As always, though, buy what tastes best to you.

Update: A few people have inquired whether the corn is cooked or not, and it isn’t in this salad. Fresh, sweet corn is excellent raw. However if you do want to use cooked corn, I suggest grilling it, shucked and lightly oiled first, cooking it over a fire for 10-15 minutes, turning it infrequently to give it a bit of char so it has some texture, as well as additional flavor.