These summery tacos with fresh sweet corn, juicy peaches and basil are a culmination of many thoughts of dreamy outdoor meals simmering away over time. My love of juicy fruit in savoury dishes is pretty obvious at this point and tacos are the perfect outdoor-dwelling-with-a-cool-drink-in-the-other-hand-kinda food (my heart is devoted to those foods).
This filling is a simple saute of lentils, corn and peaches. It’s fresh, a little bit sweet, juicy, filling, and requires minimal heat to pull off while you’re cooking, which is so necessary this time of year!
PEACHY CORN TACOS WITH LENTILS & BASIL SLAW
Print the recipe here!
SERVES: makes about 10-12 tacos
NOTES: The sautéed filling makes an awesome side dish all on its own. I would add some chopped basil to it to finish if you’re going to go that route.
SLAW:
1/4 head of green cabbage, shredded
1 big sprig of basil, leaves removed and sliced
juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
salt and pepper
PEACHY CORN FILLING:
1/3 cup french lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 shallot, small dice
1 small red pepper, small dice
1/2 tsp chili powder (ancho or chipotle are amazing)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
4 ears of corn, kernels removed
2 ripe peaches, pitted and diced
juice of 1 lime
salt and pepper
ASSEMBLY:
10-12 corn tortillas, warmed
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
lime wedges
Cook the lentils: place the rinsed lentils in a small saucepan with 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until lentils are tender but still have some bite. Set aside.
Make the slaw: combine the shredded cabbage, basil, lime juice, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Set aside in the fridge.
Make the peachy corn filling: Heat the grapeseed oil in a medium-large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced shallot and red pepper. Saute mixture until soft and slightly translucent. Add the chili powder and cumin. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the corn kernels and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper at this point. Cook, stirring frequently until corn is crisp-tender and slightly more golden, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the diced peaches, cooked lentils and lime juice. Check for seasoning and keep warm.
To assemble: Place 1/4 cup or so of peachy corn filling in each tortilla, top with avocado slices and a good tongs-full of slaw. Eat immediately.
I would happily chow down on one of your tacos! They look so fresh and nourishing. Beautiful photos!
Oh gosh, the tacos look fantastic but your story is even more inspiring. A succotash is whatever it can be and a taco is whatever you want it to be. I often get overwhelmed by the idea that sometimes there is a one, authentic, true version of a dish and I just need to let that go.
Dude. What a sweet addition to my “Summer of Tacos” (yeah, I’m making it a real thing).
Also, when will people stop this annoying “authenticity” bs about food? Some of the best tacos I’ve had were filled with Korean BBQ, just saying.
I think your lovely tacos can take his “right” tacos any day. I’m totally with you on there never being one way to do something. Our way is right the way, whatever we want it to be.
Totally on board with any food that isn’t ‘by the book.’ I’m newly obsessed with making corn tortillas at home and always looking for inspirational new fillings – just found the makings of my next taco night. Congrats on the writing gig!
lovely! I’m totally on your team with the sweets in the savory dishes. and congrats on being a contributor, excited to see your work. the more the better :)
Beautiful photos. I can’t get enough of summer peaches, so I’m excited to make your tacos.
These look so tasty!
Laura,
Those tacos look heavenly (I just wish we already had nice and ripe peaches – I had one the other day and although it was pretty sweet it was rockhard, and ‘crunchy’ is a word that should never be used in the same sentence as ‘peach’!).
And I hear you on the right or wrong way of preparing certain dishes – my parents spent time living in Morocco before I was born, and out of that grew a deep love affair with Northern African cuisine, in particular cous cous and tagines. I once asked my mum how many different types of cous cous there were and her response was “There are as many different types of cous cous as there are housewives in Morocco”. I am sure the same applies to tacos!
In all honesty though, there is also a little piece inside of me that yearns for people to prepare things the way they ‘should’ be prepared. Sure, there is no right or wrong way to prepare many dishes but every time I order a panna cotta that is basically a vanilla cream-flavoured piece of jelly that would likely bounce of the floor if dropped, I wish more chefs took the time and skill to slowly heat the cream with a vanilla pod, sugar and some cornstarch until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon before leaving it to set – resulting in a heavenly concoction, thick enough to be inverted and have that gorgeous wobble yet far creamier than anything made with gelatine. Pedantic? Maybe (though in my defence I reserve this pedantry for when people start tempering with what I think is the essence of a dish while pretending to staying true to the original … ).
All the best
Sophia
I think tacos are the ultimate ‘make them up as you go along’ food – it’s almost impossible to make a not delicious taco but these really look like some of the best!
“A taco is never wrong.” Love that! I’m all on board for these tacos, they look incredible.
“A taco is never wrong” – here here!
I used to get funny looks from my husband when I served meatless tacos but he’s finally accustomed to my unusual taco fillings. I’d like to spring these on him to keep him on his toes : )
This made me laugh out loud. I like you.
And basil slaw? Goodness, that sounds incredible.
I could have sworn I looked here when I was researching for our recent taco round up, but I just saw these! I think I may ad an addendum :) These look delicious!
Yes! Savory fruit, an always-right taco, and a wee smidge of sticking it to the man. A perfect post! Love this one Laura, abd canr wait to try lime with basil with corn with peach – a perfect summer bite.
Hear hear, woman. There is no room for taco-police or culinary egos in my kitchen. I love your take. And glad to see you took the S&H gig.
I’m so glad you discovered my blog because if you hadn’t I might not have discovered yours! I’m always looking eagerly for a new source of inspiration and even though there are a blue billion food blogs, it’s hard to find! So excited to find yours. The design & aesthetic are right up my alley. Totally a subscriber now!
These tacos look amazing! I’ve been using peaches in a lot of savory dishes lately because they have been overflowing at the farmer’s market. And, to the person who thinks there’s a “right” taco: cooking is an art form where bending and breaking the rules are encouraged. It’s constantly evolving…
i wish to make these and make them well. how do you suggest warming the tortillas? mine are always tough and chewy. thanks!!
Hi Suzi! If you have a gas stove, it’s nice to just warm them over a low flame directly on the burner. Usually I just wrap a bunch up in foil and place them in a 350 oven for 15 minutes or so and cover them with a lightly damp towel once they’re out to keep them warm/avoid over-drying. Hope that helps!
-L
everything looks absolutely delicious!
These were great… but I made a lot of mods… Try them this way next time. :)
I made the slaw as suggested in the recipe. But for the filling, I made it completely on the grill. I took yellow squash (seeded), 4 ears of corn, 3 peaches, 1 bell pepper, 1 jalapeño, and a red onion (just cut veg in half) and tossed them with chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and some sunflower oil and grilled everything. Then I cut the corn of the cob, cut up the jalapeño fine, and then cut up everything else I grilled and mixed it all with a can of black beans (instead of lentils). Served it with the slaw and avocado.
I loved the slaw. I almost replaced the basil with cilantro but boy I am I glad I did not. So good.