Shishito Pepper Summer Salad

This summer shishito pepper salad has it all – sweet raw corn, spicy jalapeños, rich and crunchy walnuts, and bright, sautéed shishito peppers. It’s a symphony of flavors and textures and it’s one of the reasons I love salads. I love a salad that’s bright, colorful, and packed with contrast. And don’t tell me that salads need lettuce – some of my all-time favorite salads are vegetable-packed, but there’s not a leafy green in sight.

This is my ode to summer and my perfect summer salad. It’s mostly raw, a perfect mixture of sweet, savory, and spicy, and it doesn’t make eating vegetables feel like a chore. It’s perfect as a side dish or as the whole meal, because after all – a salad can truly be anything you want it to be.

Ingredients for this shishito pepper summer salad

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1 dash white wine vinegar
• 2 ears of corn
• 2 jalapeños
• 1 small red onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
• 1 lemon
• 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups shishito peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup walnut halves
• Diamond Crystal kosher salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/4 cup freshly shaved parmesan, for topping

Ingredient substitutions

• Basil: Can be swapped for any tender herb, such as parsley, cilantro, or dill, that you prefer
• White wine vinegar: Swap for lemon or lime juice
• Jalapeños: Can be swapped for serrano peppers or bird’s eye chiles
• Red onion: Can be swapped for shallot, sweet white onion, yellow onion, the white part of one large leek, or a fennel bulb (if you like fennel!)
• Garlic cloves: Swap for 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or you can omit
• Lemon: Swap for either lime juice or white wine vinegar
• Extra-virgin olive oil: Swap for avocado oil, grapeseed oil, really any oil you like!
• Red pepper flakes: Swap for 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or Aleppo pepper or you can omit
• Walnuts: Can be swapped for pecans or slivered almonds

How to bring this recipe together

1. Begin by making the basil oil. Blanch the basil by adding the leaves to a colander. Submerge the colander in boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately transfer the leaves to a bowl of ice water.
2. Put the blanched basil in a small blender, along with 1/4 cup olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Set aside.
3. Cut the corn kernels from the cob, finely chop the jalapeño (remove the seeds if you don’t like spice!) and finely dice the red onion. Use a chiffonade cut to chop the mint, and use a microplane to grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl.
4. Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the corn mixture, and add a glug of olive oil. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.
5. Next, remove the stems from the shishito peppers and cut them crosswise into circular pieces, each no thicker than 1 cm.
6. Put a pan on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peppers to the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.
7. Put the walnuts in the pan, toss to coat and cook another 2 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted. Season with salt to taste and remove from the pan.
8. To plate the salad, evenly spread the corn mixture onto your plate. Top with a generous serving of the shishito peppers, sprinkle with freshly shaved parmesan, then drizzle the basil oil on top. Toss and serve!

Storage tips and how to prep this salad ahead of time

This salad is perfect to meal-prep for lunches! Here’s the best way to do it:

Store the corn mixture, sautéed shishito peppers, and basil oil in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. This keeps everything tasting fresh and prevents the herbs from wilting or the vegetables from becoming soggy.

The corn mixture can be made up to 2 days in advance and actually gets better as the flavors mingle. The shishito peppers can be cooked a day ahead and served chilled or brought back to room temperature before assembling. The basil oil will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days-just let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes if the olive oil solidifies then give it a good mix.

When you’re ready to eat, assemble the salad with the corn mixture as the base, top with the peppers and walnuts, drizzle with basil oil, and finish with parmesan. Once dressed, the salad is best enjoyed the same day.

Looking for similar recipes?

I have a few – after all, I love salads! Here are a few recent salads from the site:

And that’s it for this shishito pepper summer salad!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3