Summer Shishito Pepper Salad

Step 1

Begin by making the basil oil. Blanch the basil by adding the leaves to a colander. Submerge the colander in boiling water for 15 seconds, then immediately transfer the leaves to a bowl of ice water.

Step 2

Put the blanched basil in a small blender, along with 1/4 cup olive oil and a splash of white wine vinegar. Blend until smooth and season with salt to taste. Set aside.

Step 3

Cut the corn kernels from the cob, finely chop the jalapeno (remove the seeds if you don't like spice!) and finely dice the red onion. Use a chiffonade cut to chop the mint, and use a microplane to grate the garlic and zest the lemon. Add all of these ingredients to a large bowl.

Step 4

Squeeze the juice of the lemon over the corn mixture, and add a glug of olive oil. Mix and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Step 5

Next remove the stems from the shishito peppers and cut them cross-wise into circular pieces, each no thicker than 1 cm.

Step 6

Put a pan on medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the peppers to the pan. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes.

Step 7

Add the walnuts to the pan, toss to coat and cook another 2 minutes or until the walnuts are toasted. Season with salt to taste and remove from the pan.

Step 8

To plate the salad, evenly spread the corn mixture onto your plate. Top with a generous serving of the shishito peppers. Sprinkle freshly grated parmesan on top. Mix and serve!