22 Quick and Easy Recipes in 30 Minutes (or less) + 5 Chef Secrets To Make You A Better Cook!

Chesapeake Corn, Tomatoes & Basil

Tested & Perfected Recipes

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.

This summery combination of corn, tomatoes, and basil gets a subtle kick of flavor from Old Bay seasoning.

Bowl of Chesapeake corn, tomatoes, and basil.

Old Bay seasoning is typically used on seafood, especially on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but here it infuses sweet summer corn and tomatoes with a subtle kick of flavor. Top with some fresh basil and you’ve got the perfect summer side dish. Serve with my Maryland-Style Crab Cakes or Crispy Tilapia Fingers with Lemon and Garlic Mayonnaise.

What you’ll need to make Chesapeake Corn, Tomatoes & Basil

how to make corn and tomatoes

How to make It

Combine the corn and 1-1/4 cups water in a 10-inch skillet or medium saucepan.

how to make corn and tomatoes

Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes — or until the corn is tender-crisp and there are about 2 tablespoons of water left in the pan (it’s fine to eyeball it; it doesn’t need to be exact).

how to make corn and tomatoes

Stir in the butter, tomatoes, Old Bay, and continue cooking until the butter is melted and the tomatoes are warmed through.

Corn, tomatoes and butter

Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

all ingredients in skillet

Stir in the basil and serve warm.

Bowl of Chesapeake corn, tomatoes, and basil.

You may also like

Chesapeake Corn, Tomatoes & Basil

This summery combination of corn, tomatoes, and basil gets a subtle kick of flavor from Old Bay seasoning.

Servings: 4
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups fresh corn kernels, sliced off about 4 ears of corn
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup seeded and diced tomatoes, from 2 tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Combine the corn and 1¼ cups water in a 10-inch skillet. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes -- or until the corn is tender-crisp and there are about 2 tablespoons of water left in the pan (it's fine to eyeball it; it doesn't need to be exact).
  2. Stir in the butter, tomatoes, Old Bay, and continue cooking until the butter is melted and the tomatoes are warmed through. Taste and add salt to taste, if necessary. Stir in the basil, then serve warm.
  3. Make Ahead: This dish can be made up to a day ahead of time but wait to add the basil until right before serving.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (4 servings)
  • Calories: 234
  • Fat: 13 g
  • Saturated fat: 7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 30 g
  • Sugar: 5 g
  • Fiber: 4 g
  • Protein: 5 g
  • Sodium: 75 mg
  • Cholesterol: 31 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

See more recipes:

Comments

  • This is delicious ! ! !

    • — Florence on July 22, 2023
    • Reply
  • Yum yum yum. We are coming to the end of corn season now in Toronto. This is the perfect recipe for this time of year.

    • — Joanne on September 13, 2022
    • Reply
  • Would like to make this ahead? What is the best way to re-warm?

    • — Maxine on August 23, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Maxine, You can make it ahead and reheat it either on the stove or in the microwave until just heated through. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on August 23, 2022
      • Reply
    • Thanks! Made it for the first time and was a big hit! Not a morsel left. Was a bit short of fresh corn so added some frozen and it was delicious.Definitely a keeper!

      • — Maxine on August 24, 2022
      • Reply
  • Such a simple and delicious side dish. It was so easy to pull together, and a great way to use some of my back deck basil plant, which is practically exploding right now. I can’t seem to get enough summer vegetable dishes right now.

    • — PaulainVA on July 18, 2022
    • Reply
  • LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS RECIPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

    • — Jess on July 16, 2022
    • Reply
  • The only way to describe it is that I always get “excited” about cooking your recipes. They are always a huge success and absolutely delicious – every single one of tried and I’ve tried many. This corn salad is no exception- perfect light summer treat to go with any seafood or on its own.
    I introduce your recipes to many friends and family and everyone always raves about them. Keep ‘em coming!

    • — Dessi on July 8, 2022
    • Reply
  • Made this for our annual Labor Day Lobster Bake (just my husband and I haha) instead of just steaming the corn and it was DELICIOUS!!! So easy to make and was just as delicious as leftovers. Thanks for always providing the BEST recipes! Can’t wait to receive your second cookbook next week. Congrats!

  • Simply delicious!!! Savory, creamy, yummy. The whole family loved it. This is our new go-to corn recipe. It’s absolutely scrumptious with roasted chicken for Sunday dinner.

  • Hi Jen
    Here in Australia we cannot get Old Bay Seasoning. Could you suggest an alternative?

  • Hi Jenn! Quick question – I am out of basil, is there another herb that would work well here? I have plenty of Italian flat-leaf parsley on hand, could that work instead? Thank you for all the wonderful recipes – my husband never wants to go out to eat anymore 🙂

    • Sure, Bethany, parsley will work here (and so glad you like the recipes)! 🙂

  • Hi, Jen! Quick question: do you think of adding small “salad” shrimp to this dish would be okay? Thanks!

    • Sure! 🙂

  • I have made this recipe many many times, so delicious! I have even made it with frozen corn. Another wonderful recipe!

  • Yum! My husband and last night’s dinner guests loved this. The only thing I did differently was microwave the ears of corn in their husks and then cut off the kernels. I added them to the tomato-butter mixture at the last minute to warm them again before stirring in the Old Bay. I can’t believe I lived in Maryland for 4 years and didn’t learn about Chesapeake corn until I moved back to Colorado. Thanks, Jenn!

  • I didn’t really have high expectations for this recipe, but I had corn and tomatoes and old bay seasoning I hadn’t used since moving from the DC area a few years ago. So, I thought I’d give it a try. And here I am, a few hours after making it, rating it 5 stars. It was surprisingly flavorful and really brought me back to sitting at a quaint Annapolis restaurant on a warm summer evening. The only thing I couldn’t find in the recipe was how much salt to use? I just threw some in but I couldn’t find it listed anywhere in the recipe, even though the instructions call for it. Give this recipe a try, you too might find yourself sitting on an Adirondack chair along the Chesapeake.

    • Hi Carrie, So glad you enjoyed this! And, thanks for pointing out the mistake with the mention of the salt- I’ve removed it – sorry if it was confusing to you!

  • Just made this for dinner tonight, and it’s so good that I am trying really hard not to eat it all before dinner.

  • Absolutely delicious! Old Bay works great with the corn – love it!

  • Unbelievably succulent. As an Eastern Shore ex-pat living in Ontario, I miss Shore cooking badly. This is a new twist on an old veggie dish that is truly glorious. The Old Bay does not lend the taste you’d expect & the sweet results are 5 star for adults & children alike. Thank you! We loved it!

  • I just made Ina Garten’s recipe for Fresh Corn Salad which is similar to this recipe and this one is much better. The difference is that Ina uses red onion and cider vinegar, while this one uses scallions and
    white wine vinegar. Much better.

  • This is consistently a crowd pleaser and my family’s favorite way to have corn in the summer.

  • Do you think this could be made in advance and served cold? Thanks for your thoughts!

  • I make this recipe every year. With juicy corn and dry farmed tomatoes, it is fantastic!

  • I have tried so many corn & tomato salad recipes, but this one is by far my favorite. The Old Bay seasoning is the secret ingredient that really livens up the dish. I made a large batch of this for a picnic and it was the first dish gone. Fabulous & easy!

  • This was delicious, but a pinch heavy on the Old Bay for me. It had great flavor!

  • I use a similar version of this but with black beans and cilantro to add as a topper to flank steak. It’s great on grilled meats!

  • This is a flavorful unique recipe that is great for the summer. It is quick and easy. The Old Bay adds great flavor and the tomatoes add great color.

  • We make a similar version of this. It’s especially great with grilled chicken

  • I can’t wait for summer in order to try this recipe with fresh summer corn! What a great side dish to accompany anything from the grill!

  • This recipe is awesome! We have made it weekly with fresh corn from our CSA and fresh basil from the farmer’s market. It reheats quite well in the microwave also.

  • Easy and so tasty. The old bay seasoning really compliments this dish. Unfortunately, I didn’t have fresh basil, so I had to use dried. It was still wonderful. Next time I look forward to making it with fresh basil. This was a great side dish with oven fried chicken.

  • This looks like a great side… or even a main dish–I love corn so much. The addition of tomato and basil sounds delicious. Now I know what I’m doing with the corn shucks in my fridge.

    • — Russell at Chasing Delicious
    • Reply
  • I plan on trying this out this weekend! Looks so good.

Add a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.