Charred Corn Salad With Lime and Cilantro
Fresh summer grilled corn on the cob - tossed with bell peppers, avocado, lime, cilantro, sriracha and green onions - make this bold-flavored charred corn salad a perfect summer side.
Servings (change as needed): 4
Ingredients
- 4 corn on the cob, outer husks and silk removed
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and cut into 4-5 large pieces
- 1/2 ripe, but firm avocado, peeled and diced (or use the whole avocado if you like)
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives or green onions
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro or more, to taste
Lime Vinaigrette
- 1 lime (about 2 tbsp juice plus 1 tsp zest)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce (or to taste)
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- GRILL AND PREP CORN AND PEPPER: Heat grill to medium-high heat. Oil grates with oil spray or with a paper towel dipped in canola oil or other vegetable oil. Place corn and red pepper pieces on grill. Grill for 8-10 minutes total, turning to char evenly or until veggies are tender-crisp. Using a sharp knife, stand up each corn in a bowl with a small inverted cup in it and slide the knife down each side to cut off the kernels into the bowl. Here’s a quick video with a simple clean way to shell corn. Dice the red pepper. You can peel off the charred skin if you like (I don't bother).
- MAKE LIME VINAIGRETTE: In a small cup, whisk all lime vinaigrette ingredients together.
- ASSEMBLE: Place cooked corn, pepper, avocado, green onion and cilantro in a medium bowl. Pour on the vinaigrette. Gently mix everything together. Taste and adjust seasonings until you're happy with it. Let the salad sit for 10-20 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge to let the flavors blend (if you have time).
Notes
- Variations - add-ins:
- other diced, grilled vegetables such as zucchini or red onion
- toss in some crumbled feta cheese
- for a complete meal, add grilled chicken, tofu or crumbled cooked sausage.
- chopped black or green olives
- canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- chopped fresh cherry tomatoes
- Substitutes
- parsley instead the cilantro
- chives instead of green onions.
- poblano peppers instead of sweet bell peppers
- Use half a seeded jalapeno pepper instead of the sriracha
- Make ahead: You can make the corn salad a day or two ahead. In fact, the extra sitting time gives the flavors time to blend. If the avocado is very ripe, I suggest adding it just before serving. Store the salad in an airtight container.
Calories: 161kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 466mg | Potassium: 428mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1202IU | Vitamin C: 50mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg