Summer Salad with Avocado Cilantro Dressing

Chef/Co-owner Brian Kingsford and Co-owner Jennifer Matta, OTRA, Providence

We’re excited to welcome you to OTRA this summer after a long-anticipated opening. This salad has sweetness and acidity balanced by a creamy piquant dressing—a perfect match for Pollo Pimenton de la Vera a la Plancha, a chicken dish which is typical of the flavors you’ll find on the OTRA menu.*

June 03, 2021

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
  • 3 ears local summer sweet corn
  • 3 ounces young kale or arugula, washed and spun dry
  • 1+ cup OTRA Avocado Dressing (recipe at below)
  • 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes (or sweetest you can find), washed and halved
  • Quality extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • 2 ripe Haas avocados
  • 3 ounces crumbled queso fresco, ricotta salata or cotija cheese for garnish
OTRA Avocado Dressing
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and some stems
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seed removed and roughly chopped
  • ½ cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
  • Water as needed to thin dressing
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

Preparation

Blanch the corn in lightly salted water for 3 minutes. Remove from boiling water and immediately plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process. Once cool, cut the corn from the cobs. Toss the corn and tomatoes with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt.

Peel, remove seed and slice the avocados. Fan the sliced avocados around the outside of a large platter. Spoon corn and tomatoes onto the center of the plate and press with spoon to create a well in the middle. Add ½ cup of the avocado dressing into the center of the well.

Toss the kale with the remaining ½ cup dressing and add the salad to the center of the platter. Garnish with crumbled cheese. Serve this salad alongside your favorite grilled protein with a nice cool glass of Spanish Rosado.

OTRA Avocado Dressing:

Place lime juice, cilantro, garlic, cayenne pepper, avocado and olive oil in a blender and purée until smooth. Slowly add just enough water to achieve the proper consistency, which should be just thin enough to dress the salad (similar to a Caesar dressing). Season with salt to taste. Makes approximately 2½ cups.

About this recipe

Note: The dressing will produce more than needed for this salad. We like to serve it in a small jar with a spoon on the side along with the chicken (or whichever protein you decide to serve).

Related Stories & Recipes

Pollo Pimenton de la Vera a la Plancha

At OTRA, we prepare this chicken on a “plancha,” which is a heavy metal plate that is heated to high temperatures. The recipe works just as well on a very hot cast-iron skillet or the backyard grill.&...

Ingredients

SERVINGS: 4 Serving(s)
  • 3 ears local summer sweet corn
  • 3 ounces young kale or arugula, washed and spun dry
  • 1+ cup OTRA Avocado Dressing (recipe at below)
  • 1 pint heirloom cherry tomatoes (or sweetest you can find), washed and halved
  • Quality extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher or sea salt
  • 2 ripe Haas avocados
  • 3 ounces crumbled queso fresco, ricotta salata or cotija cheese for garnish
OTRA Avocado Dressing
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice
  • 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and some stems
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled
  • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 ripe avocado, peeled, seed removed and roughly chopped
  • ½ cup good-quality extra-virgin olive oil
  • Water as needed to thin dressing
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
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