When I put a forkful of this salad in my mouth, I immediately think of the tropics. The flavors are incredible and pair together in great harmony. Fresh, tiny tomatoes, creamy avocado, roasted corn, jalapeno providing a small kick of heat, lime, rice vinegar and cilantro a refreshing taste. Yes, you may be carried away to an island with a gentle breeze, warmth and sunshine and swaying palm trees. Wait! That’s where I live, except it’s not an island:) Vacation is different, of course, from daily living, (sad to admit that we don’t get to the beach too often). Oh, well. This salad will cheer anyone up, even those of us who haven’t been on a vacation in years, and don’t foresee one in the near future.  This calls for grilled shrimp and creamy risotto for an accompaniment. That’s exactly what I had:) Delicious. A tropical delight even in the midst of a typical weeknight.

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 ears of corn

1 jalapeno pepper, cut in half and seeded

1 pint grape tomatoes

1 avocado

1-1/2 Tablespoons freshly-squeezed lime juice (or lemon)

1 small shallot, minced

1 small garlic clove, minced

salt, pepper

1-2 Tablespoons oil, plus more for corn and jalapeno

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Green onions, cilantro, minced, 1 tablespoon each

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Rub 1/2-1 Tablespoon oil on corn and jalapeno, season with salt  and pepper.  Broil for about 5-10 minutes, corn on both sides and jalapeno on the skin side only.  Cool. Strip the kernels of the ears of corn. A trick that I found works great is to set a small bowl upside down into a large bowl, place the ear of corn on top of the small bowl and strip. All the kernels fall into the bowl without flying all over the counters and onto the floor.  Peel the skin off the jalapeno and mince.  Cut the grape tomatoes in half. (By the way, you can coarsely chop 2 regular tomatoes instead of using grape tomatoes; use whatever you have in your kitchen.)  Cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, score and scoop out the avocado. Add lime or lemon juice, stir gently to combine. Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl and serve.

Serve immediately, since avocado browns quickly, even though we use lime/lemon juice.

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