What makes this quick and easy corn salad recipe southern? My Mississippi mama made it! Flavorful and adaptable as a side or salad topper.

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What makes this quick and easy corn salad recipe southern? My Mississippi mama made it!

My mama cooked a lot. And when you have to cook a lot you tend to have a handful of recipes that you make over and over, recipes that everyone loves and that aren’t too fiddly to make. (She was definitely NOT a fiddly cook!)

Mama, along with our housekeeper Della who taught me to make cornbread, showed me how to make simple foods taste delicious.

Her two top rules of cooking:

use plenty of onion
use plenty of black pepper

While she grew up in the country and made amazing peas and butter beans, smothered pork chops and fried chicken, she learned by necessity to prepare “fancy food” for the parties she and my dad hosted.

I remember those parties with such fondness — the house fragrant with the smell of lilies (and Mrs. Jones’ gardenia perfume!) and the polished dining table loaded with my dad’s beef tenderloin ready to tuck into homemade pocket sour cream rolls, pecan tassies and always, always Mama’s corn salad.

She loved it because it was quick and easy and colorful. And so good. And of course like all good mamas she passed the recipe along to me.

Here are several tips:

For best flavor assemble the corn salad several hours ahead, and store in the fridge.
The dressing, though simple, is incredibly flavorful and can be used on its own as a salad dressing or even a meat marinade.
For the most colorful corn salad use a combination of orange and green bell peppers. These contrast with the yellow corn and red tomatoes to make a visually thrilling dish.

By the way, it turns out that we really do eat with our eyes. Here’s an interesting article on how colorful foods can make us happy.

Quick + Easy Southern Corn Salad

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Ingredients

Salad

2 15 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained white or yellow
⅓ cup chopped yellow onion
⅓ cup chopped celery
½ cup chopped bell pepper orange preferred
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped about 1 cup

Dressing

½ cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
½-1 tsp salt start with ½ tsp and taste before adding more
½-1 tsp black pepper start with ½ tsp and taste before adding more

Instructions

Mix all salad ingredients together in a bowl.
Place all dressing ingredients in a jar with lid, and shake well to combine.
Pour dressing over salad and mix well.
Serve right away or chill in the fridge for a couple hours.

my favorite ways to serve quick and easy southern corn salad

over green salad, fabulous because it adds veggies and vinaigrette dressing at the same time!
over hummus, spread hummus on a serving platter and top with drained corn salad to add texture and brighten flavor
as a side dish with sandwiches
mixed with cooked black-eyed peas or butter beans for a sorta-succotash

I’m sure you’ll discover even more new ways to enjoy this quick and easy southern corn salad!

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