Grill-Side Garden Salad

This Tex-Mex garden salad is built for backyard grilling season. Chunky tomatoes, diced zucchini, sweet corn kernels, creamy avocado, and green onions get tossed in a punchy dressing of picante sauce, cilantro, lime (or lemon) juice, cumin, and garlic salt.

No cooking required. Just chop, toss, and chill. The 3 to 4 hours of marinating time lets the dressing soak into the vegetables, so every bite is seasoned through. Give it a gentle stir now and then so the avocado doesn’t all settle to the bottom.

This works as a standalone side dish, a topping for grilled chicken or steak, or scooped up with tortilla chips like a chunky salsa. Serve it alongside whatever’s coming off the grill with extra picante sauce on the side.

Chef Tips

• Use firm, ripe avocado that holds its shape when diced. Overripe avocado turns to guacamole during the chill time.
• Seed the tomatoes before chopping. The watery pulp dilutes the dressing and makes the salad soupy.
• Fresh corn cut from the cob is the best option in summer. Thawed frozen works fine the rest of the year.
• Stir gently throughout the chill time. Aggressive stirring crushes the avocado and turns the salad murky.

Variations

• Add a drained can of black beans for protein and a heartier side dish.
• Toss in diced jicama for extra crunch.
• Use lime juice instead of lemon and add a diced jalapeno for more authentic Southwestern heat.