Robin: This salad, known as Ensalada de Corpus in Mexico, is a celebratory combination of some of the important fruits and vegetables that come into season in spring and early summer in the agricultural areas of central Mexico. The recipe calls for ingredients that are seldom used together (when’s the last time you mixed squash and peaches?) but which sing in sublime harmony in this dish.
The basic Corpus Christi Salad recipe below is surprisingly delicious as-is, but don’t hesitate to modify it to take full advantage of the items that are in season where you live. Make sure you use only fresh ingredients, however (including the lime juice); definitely skip the canned/bottled/frozen stuff when making this flavorful—and potentially decorative—salad.
Why is it called that? The name of this dish comes from the Roman Catholic feast of Corpus Christi, a solemnity that started in the 13th century has been celebrated in Mexico since 1526. It has no fixed date, as is depends on the date of Easter (a moveable feast), but always falls on a Thursday in late May or early- to mid-June. In Mexico, Corpus Christi is traditionally a day of religious processions through the streets, and since it comes at the time of the first spring harvests, it was habitually an important occasion for farmers to bring their fruits and vegetables to sell in the plaza surrounding the local church. The name of this salad evokes this Mexican tradition.
Corpus Christi Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ear of tender white or yellow corn
- 1 small calabacita or other tender summer squash* (see note below)
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red apple
- 1 peach
- 3 tablespoons freshly-squeezed Mexican lime juice
- 1 medium avocado
- 1/2 of a small red onion
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons apple vinegar or wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
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1.) Before you begin to make your salad, decide whether you want to display it in an artistic design (like the picture above) or would rather have the ingredients in chunks, more like a chopped salad. Which you choose to do will depend on personal preference as well as where you plan to serve the salad; for example, if you’re taking it on a picnic, the chopped version (chunks of maybe ½ inch in size) would be much more practical, whereas you might opt for the fancier presentation for a dinner party.
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2.) Prepare the fruits and veggies: Cut the kernels of corn off the cob with a sharp knife. If the kernels are crisp and very tender, use them raw. If not, boil them for just a few minutes, until barely soft; avoid overcooking. Drain.
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3.) You’ll use the squash raw. Cut it, unpeeled, into cubes, rounds, or sticks. Discard any pithy core or seeds. Peel the cucumber and slice it or cut it into chunks, discarding seeds.
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4.) You can peel the apple and peach, if you like, but leaving the peel on can add attractive color to your salad. Remove the apple core and peach pit, and cut the flesh into small chunks or slices of no more than ½ inch thick. Place the chunks or slices into a bowl and add the lime juice; toss so that all the surfaces of the fruit are bathed in juice. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the fruit, leaving the excess lime juice in the bottom of the bowl.
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5.) Peel the avocado and remove the pit. Cut the avocado flesh into cubes. Place those cubes in the bowl with the lime juice and toss gently so that all surfaces of the avocado come in contact with the juice. (The reason we toss the apple, peach, and avocado in lime juice is two-fold: to brighten the flavor of these fruits and to prevent them from turning brown due to contact with the air.) Drain off any excess juice and set it aside for later.
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6.) Thinly slice the onions. Cut each slice into fourths. Place the cut onion into a strainer and rinse briefly under cold running water to soften its flavor. Drain well and pat dry with a paper towel.
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7.) If you are displaying the ingredients in a design, arrange all the prepared fruits and veggies in an attractive pattern on one large platter or on individual salad plates. Take your time and enjoy this step; allow the beautiful shapes and colors of the ingredients to inspire you as you create a salad that is as much a delight to the eyes as it is to the taste buds.
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8.) If you cut your fruits and veggies into chunks, toss them together gently in a large mixing bowl.
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9.) Make the dressing: Combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and any remaining lime juice in a jar or other container that has a tight-fitting lid. Put the lid on, and shake vigorously until the dressing is well combined. Pour a little of the dressing over each portion of salad at serving time.
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Store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator. Use within 2days.
Recipe Notes
- *Though Mexican gray squash (also known as tatuma or calabacita)—either the long variety or the round one—is used for this dish in Mexico, feel free to substitute any other tender summer squash, such as green or yellow zucchini or pattypan.
- In addition to or instead of the fruits and vegetables mentioned in the basic recipe, take advantage of any fresh produce that is in season in your region. For example, try a version made with slices of pear, halved grapes, tender peas (raw or barely cooked), wild berries, etc.
- Another option: serve your delicious Corpus Christi Salad on lettuce leaves or a bed of finely chopped lettuce.
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More veggie & fruit combinations
Other refreshing sides:
Recipes with Zucchini
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