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Insalata caprese all’americana (American-Style Caprese Salad)

Total Time15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4-6 medium sized mozzarella balls 1 per person
  • For the bed:
  • 150 g 5 oz baby arugula
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • For the topping:
  • 750 g 4 cups corn kernels (from 4-5 cobs)
  • 750 g 4-6 medium tomatoes, deseeded and cut into small dice
  • 2-3 green onions thinly sliced
  • Freshly squeezed juice of one half lemon
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper
  • Basil or mint optional

Instructions

  • Start by cooking your corn. There are various ways to do it, but in my book the easiest is to husk and boil the corn cobs in abundant salted water briefly, only for 3-5 minutes for fresh corn, a minute or two more if you're using corn that's been in the fridge for a few days. Let the cobs cool and cut off the kernels with a sharp knife. (This goes much easier if you apply a gentle sawing motion as you glide the knife down the sides of the cob.)
  • Dress the arugula lightly with olive and salt, then lay down a bed of arugula in individual plates.
  • Slice each mozzarella and lay it out in an attractive pattern on each plate.
  • Now mix the corn kernels with the diced tomato and sliced green onions. Dress the mixture with olive oil, followed by the lemon juice, then season generously to taste. If you like, mix in a few shredded basil or mint leaves just before serving.
  • Spoon the corn and tomato mixture over the mozzarella in an attractive pattern, for example, piling it high in the middle of the plate and sprinkling a bit around the sides as well.
  • Drizzle a bit more olive oil over everything and serve.