Grilled Summer Corn Salad is the perfect side dish for a Mexican themed dinner, a cookout, or burger night. Adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s Fresh Corn Salad, I used fresh summer corn grilled to perfection and stirred it together with fresh basil, cheese, and pickled jalapeños. Delicious!!
I’m usually a purist when it comes to corn. I like it on the cob with butter and salt – no fancy cheese, mayo, chili powder, or anything like that! I know, I know…I’m missing out – but that’s just how I am with corn! However, we were doing a Mexican theme night on our recent end-of-the-summer beach trip and decided to make a grilled corn salad. Being the purist I am, I was a little skeptical.
This is a good place to give you a little background on how I find great recipes when I’m looking for something specific. It’s pretty easy – I check with Ina and Ree. That would be Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) and Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman). I always know I can find a great recipe from one of them and I KNOW it will be great!
So that’s what we did this time…..we consulted Ina (would’ve been a much more fun in-person consult but, you know, she’s famous and I’m…..not)!
We knew we wanted a recipe that used fresh, grilled corn and combined it with basil. Ina had a great Fresh Corn Salad so we used her recipe and added a little heat and cheese. It was the PERFECT side dish!
Here’s how to make Grilled Summer Corn Salad:
- Buy the freshest corn you can find! I like to remove the husks first before grilling so I get a nice char on the corn itself (instead of just on the husk). Rub the corn with a little butter, olive oil, salt and pepper and place directly on the grill. Grill until lightly charred. (Note – I don’t actually DO any grilling. I leave that to my husband. If you need instructions on grilling, check with Ina or Ree or some knowledgable person on grilling!!)
- Once the corn is grilled, grab a deep bowl (trust me on the deep part) and cut the kernels off the corn cob.
- Add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the bowl of corn.
- Julienne a big handful of basil and add it to the bowl as well. You can add as much as you prefer.
- Chop up some pickled jalapeños (my favorite to use in recipes because they aren’t as spicy as fresh jalapeños) or fresh jalapeños if you prefer and can take the heat. Add them to the corn.
- Season with salt and pepper and stir everything together.
- Top with some Cotija crumbling cheese.
- ENJOY!!
Grilled Summer Corn Salad
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Fresh Corn Salad, this is the perfect side dish for any cookout, burger night, or Mexican themed night. Fresh, sweet, and delicious!
Ingredients
- 5 ears of corn, grilled
- 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, cut into strips
- 7-8 slices pickled jalapeños, chopped (optional)
- 1/4 cup Cotija cheese
Instructions
- Melt 2 tbsp of butter and mix with one tbsp of olive oil. Brush the ears of corn with the butter/olive oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place the corn on a hot grill and grill until lightly charred.
- In a deep bowl, stand the corn up on one end and cut the kernels off the cob using a sharp knife. They will fall into the bowl as you are cutting.
- Add the apple cider vinegar and 3 tbsp of olive oil to the corn. Julienne the basil and add it to the bowl as well. Chop the jalapeños (if using) and add them. Stir ingredients together.
- Top with Cotija cheese. Taste and add any salt and pepper needed.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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