I teamed up with Bayonne Ham and Honest Cooking to prepare a recipe that showcases Jambon de Bayonne.

Bayonne is a city in the Basque region of southwest France where the Nive and Adour rivers meet. It’s also the home to Bayonne ham, a cured ham made with high-quality, whole, fresh hams that have been rubbed with a thick layer of special rock salt from the Adour river basin and aged an average of ten to twelve months. As part of this Bayonne ham project, I wanted to showcase this lovely ham while embracing all the stellar summer produce of the moment.

I ultimately decided to go with a bit of an American southwest flare with a salad of grilled corn, an assortment of juicy, colorful, heirloom tomatoes, and sliced avocado topped with a generous amount of Bayonne ham and dressed with a tangy, punchy cilantro-basil-jalapeno-lime dressing. If you want to go one extra step, you can add some creamy burrata cheese to the salad (highly recommended).

This salad is completely approachable — there’s only a handful of ingredients — and refreshing on a hot summer’s day. I like to serve it family style, that is, on a large platter to showcase all the ingredients.

Heirloom Tomato, Corn, Avocado Salad with Bayonne Ham

2 ears of grilled corn
6 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
1 to 2 avocados, thinly sliced
1 ball of burrata (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Dressing (recipe below)
4 to 6 ounces Jambon de Bayonne, roughly torn into pieces

With a serrated knife, slice the kernels off the grilled corn. Place in a shallow bowl or serving platter, along with the tomatoes, avocado and burrata if using. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss with the dressing. Top with ham (alternatively, you can crisp up the ham in a hot skillet, about 30 seconds per side, until crispy).

Cilantro-Basil-Lime Dressing

1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
1/3 cup lightly packed basil leaves
1 jalapeno, seeded
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Process until well combined.