Summer Grilled Corn Salad
My son Luke was born in July. Friends and family arrived on our doorstep for weeks to feed our new little family of four. Maybe it was a bit of pity or worry for us as we learned to navigate two babies under the age of two (we were clearly in way over our head), but I’ll never forget the parade of meals that came through my kitchen that summer. Meatballs and enchiladas, fresh green beans, couscous salad, warm chocolate chip cookies and peach crisp just to name a few. It goes almost without saying; it was a delicious few weeks. We ate like kings which was the most tender act of kindness someone could do for a tired and overwhelmed new parent.
During those foggy newborn days, a friend dropped off a dinner that included the simplest yet most delicious corn salad I’ve ever had. It was corn, bell peppers, a little onion and basil. It was sweet and savory in every bite and the crunch of the summer corn was addicting. I asked my friend a dozen times for the recipe but she always just shrugged her shoulders and said she just threw a few things together (clearly this is my favorite kind of recipe).
I’ve spent roughly 13 years trying to recreate the recipe, and while my version will never be her version exactly, I think I’ve finally gotten this corn salad just how I like it (and pretty darn close to how I remember it). Corn, bell peppers, onion and zucchini are grilled on the barbecue for a little smokey charred goodness. After a quick turn on the barbecue the vegetables are diced up nice and small for maximum flavor in each bite and to ensure you get a little goodness from each component. I’m not even sure you would call it a dressing, but a splash of apple cider vinegar and a pinch of sugar is all you need to bring out the flavors of these peak summer vegetables. The salty feta cheese and freshness of basil rounds out the dish.
This is the ‘basic’ recipe in that I always start with these components but sometimes I add cherry tomatoes or a jalapeño if I feel like changing it up based on what else I’m cooking that night. I’ve used green peppers instead of red and orange bell peppers in the past and if I don’t happen to have fresh basil, I use a leaf or two of mint or fresh parsley. All that to say, you can’t hardly mess this recipe up and there’s lots of room for interpretation. Add in what you love and skip what you don’t. The secret is in spending the extra couple minutes to grill the veggies, they become so flavorful and worth the small extra step.
Grilled Summer Corn Salad
4-5 ears of corn
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 large walla walla sweet onion
1 medium zucchini
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese (about 1/3 cup)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
8-10 fresh basil leaves, finely diced
Preheat your grill to medium high (about 400 degrees). Shuck the corn and set aside. Slice the bell peppers into 4 pieces, removing the seeds and stem from the center. Slice the onion into thick 1/2 inch rounds and slice the zucchini lengthwise down the middle. Place all the veggies on a baking sheet and drizzle the olive oil over them. Turn the vegetables a few times, making sure they are well-coated in the oil.
Transfer the vegetables to your grill. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes total, using tongs to flip the vegetables halfway through. The vegetables should have grill marks and the peppers, onion and zucchini should have softened a bit. The corn will be bright yellow and some of the kernels will have char from the grill. Pull the vegetables off the grill, setting them aside for about 5 minutes in order to cool enough to handle.
Using a sharp knife, cut the corn kernels off the cob. Transfer to a large bowl. Dice the bell peppers, onion and zucchini and add to the bowl along with the crumbled feta cheese. Give the vegetables and feta a good mix. Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to the bowl and mix again. Garnish with the sliced basil leaves and the salad is ready to serve. Save extras in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to three days.