Today I’m happy to share with you a recipe from my good friend Gaby Dalkin‘s newly-released cookbook: Absolutely Avocados. My entire family loves avocados. We’re super lucky to live in Southern California, where beautiful, ripe avocados are available to us all-year long for a good price. Seriously, most of the time you can pick them up for 99 cents, and often they are 2 for a dollar. LUCKY, right?! We’re grateful. And we eat them OFTEN. The recipe that caught my eye first in this avocado cookbook was the Bacon, Avocado and Corn Salad.
It was the bacon that did it. Bacon and avocados are two well-loved ingredients in my kitchen! And they’re perfect when paired together too!
There it is- Absolutely Avocados by Gaby Dalkin. There are 80 amazing recipes for every meal of the day (even dessert… seriously. We’ll talk about that later in the post)…
Sometimes I have a recipe that calls for bacon and I don’t have any bacon in the house. And sometimes I don’t like to buy a whole package of bacon since I forget that it’s in my refrigerator and then it goes bad. Did you know that you can usually buy bacon by the strip in your meat department? This recipe called for 5 strips of thick-cut bacon (so that’s all I bought… perfect). The bacon is fried until crisp, fat spooned out… all except for one tablespoon.
That one tablespoon of fat is what you’re going to cook the corn in. Just get it all warmed and flavored of that bacon fat, and it will be ready for the rest of the ingredients.
While the corn is still in the pan, you’re going to add feta (or cotija) cheese, chopped cilantro and lime juice.
Chop up your fresh and perfectly ripe avocado (cut it in half first by wiggling a sharp knife vertically around the outside of the avocado and toward the pit. Twist and pull the sides apart. Drop your knife onto the pit until it sticks, twist and pull it out. Take a large spoon and loosen the avocado from the skin, then use a knife to cut the avocado into small chunks.
Transfer everything to a bowl, add the avocado and crumble in the bacon. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Done!
My family DEVOURED this for lunch the other day… all three of us- GONE in seconds. I’d make this recipe again in a heartbeat!
If you’re an avocado-lover, I wholeheartedly recommend Gaby’s book: Absolutely Avocados. It’s full of 80 delicious ideas for using up avocados in every meal of the day. The book is filled with recipes that employ creative uses of the avocado. Take breakfast, for example: Avocado and Chorizo Breakfast Hash, Southwestern Egg Casserole, Migas and Avocado Toast (we tried the toast yesterday as a healthy, after-school snack and it was easy and fabulous!) Yes, there is guacamole, but Dalkin shares EIGHT very different recipes for guacamole (including the amazing-sounding Mango/Cilantro Guac and Roasted Poblano & Caramelized Onion Guac) as well as dips and dressing and salads. Main dishes I can’t wait to try: Cheese Bellied Guacamole Turkey Burgers, Cumin-Dusted Mahi Mahi Tacos and Herbed Quinoa & Avocado- Stuffed Peppers. Have you ever imagined incorporating avocado into desserts?! The author does just that in her Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pound Cake and Banana Bread (think of the avocado as a healthy fat replacement- cool, right?!) Her book can be found on Amazon for (currently) the very low price of $11.00!
And if you’re really and truly as obsessed with avocado as I am, you can follow my Pinterest Board: Avocado Obsession!
If you happen to be following the Weight Watchers WW plan, you’ll find a link to the WW Points on the recipe card below.
Bacon, Avocado and Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 5 strips thick cut bacon
- 4 large ears corn, husks and silks removed
- ½ cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 medium lime, juiced
- 1 large Hass avocado
- coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Place a heavy skillet over medium heat. Arrange the bacon strips in the skillet and cook on both sides until the bacon is crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to dry. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet.
- Cut the kernels off each cob by laying the cob flat on a cutting board and using a sharp knife to remove the kernels. Discard the cobs and transfer the kernels to the skillet with the bacon fat. Cook the corn over medium high heat until it is just slightly golden brown, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, crumble in the cheese, and add the cilantro and lime juice. Let the mixture cool to room temperature. Roughly crumble the bacon into the corn mixture and toss to combine.
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Remove the pit from the avocado and discard. Remove the avocado from the skin, and cut the avocado into ½ inch pieces. Transfer the avocado to the skillet and toss.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper before serving. Serve immediately at room temperature, or refrigerate for later. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten free, just be sure to use a brand of bacon that is known to be GF.
- WW Points were calculated using reduced fat feta cheese.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Other great recipes that use avocados from these fabulous websites:
6 Creative, Delicious Ways to Use Avocado by Parade Magazine
Avocado and Egg Breakfast Pizza by The Kitchn
Bacon- Wrapped Avocados by Oh Sweet Basil
Kicked-Up Avocado Margaritas by Cookin’ Canuck
Fried Avocado Tacos by FoodieCrush
Disclosure: Amazon affiliate links are included within this post.
Good morning! I wanted to let you know that I featured your corn avocado bacon recipe on my blog today as my inspiration for a very similar dish. I added a few ingredients per my family’s tastebuds and let me tell you it’s divine. I’m so glad Emily Clark shared your recipe on her blog a few weeks ago. Thank you again!
This recipe has all of my favorite things – can’t wait to try it!!
I made this tonight and added some grape tomatoes and it was great. I actually had people come back for thirds!!!! Yummy
Oh my goodness – this was delicious! Just made it for supper with some cheddar garlic drop biscuits – perfection! Thanks again for sharing such a great recipe!
Would this be ok to make a day in advance?
I wouldn’t mix the salad a day in advance- it might get all mushy and unappetizing. Probably best to prepare all ingredients, keep them separate and then mix when ready to serve (don’t cut the avocado until ready to serve).
Does anyone know where to buy Cojita cheese? I live in MA and can’t find it anywhere. A local restaurant uses it in their chimichurri tacos and I love it!!
In California it’s sold near the mozzarella cheese. Or in the Latin Products section (cold).
Would frozen or canned taste “almost” as good?
corn? I guess if you could sub that in a pinch, if you’re okay with eating frozen or canned!