Charred Zucchini Sweet Corn Mexican Salad

This summer we’ve bought and eaten so much sweet corn and it isn’t even in season yet Up North.  Our corn fields are full but the ears aren’t fully ripened.  So there’s that to look forward to, of course, but we’ll continue to enjoy corn from other areas of the country in the meantime.  With the last 8 ears we bought at the grocery store I wanted to try this charred corn and zucchini salad.

Charred Zucchini Sweet Corn Mexican Salad

My P.S. (Perfect Searer/ hubby) is always helpful in firing up the grill to sear me some cobs of corn.  He gets them beautifully charred then hands them over to me for the finishing touches.

Husk corn and brush with oil. Char on grill until browned in places.

Using a sharp knife I’m getting better at stripping the kernels from the cobs without spraying the kitchen walls with juicy bits.  It helps if you cool them so they’re easier to handle!

Cut ends off zucchini and summer squash and slice lengthwise. Brush with oil and char on grill. Let cool and slice. Add to bowl.

This recipe also had grilled zucchini and summer squash.  My P.S. cut the ends off the squash and cut them in half lengthwise as the recipe directed.  The picture on the blog had the squash in circles still in the salad.  I’d bought small squash so I could have that in my salad as well.  But I’m not sure how they grilled them and kept them in round pieces.  They’d maybe grilled them whole?  There were no explanations of that difference in the post.

The squash was seared on the grill then I let it cool before slicing and adding to my salad bowl.

Cut pepper in half and core. Brush with olive oil and char on grill. Or used frozen diced like I did and char it in a nonstick skillet.

The recipe also had a red bell pepper being grilled for the salad.  I’d bought 10 bell peppers of various colors and diced and froze them the previous week.  I simply pulled a bag of one diced red pepper out of the freezer and seared it in a nonstick skillet.  That was easily done.

Dice red onion and add to a large bowl. Finely dice jalapeno and add to bowl as well.

I’d already diced half of a red onion and added it to the salad bowl.  There was no onion in the salad originally but I added it.  A salad needs onion, was my thought.  It’s a natural fit.

I had picked up a small jalapeno from the grocery store and that’s unusual for me.  Usually I used the diced in a can kind of jalapenos.  This time I thought I’d be true to the recipe.  I diced the jalapeno finely and added it to my salad bowl.

Chop cilantro finely and add to bowl.

I groaned when I read there was cilantro in the recipe, as I’m one of those who taste it as soap.  But I can deal with it if there are enough other flavors.  I just would brave it out, buck up, suck it up, etc.  I chopped 1/4 a cup for the salad and 2 tablespoons for the dressing.

When cobs are cooled, slice kernels off and add to bowl.

The ears of corn were cooled and I cut it from the cobs and added it to the salad bowl.  Vegetables done, I turned to the dressing.

Measure dressing ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk well. Pour over salad and stir to coat well.

I added the dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisked well.  I don’t use agave syrup and didn’t want to buy any just for the salad.  I did a quick search that suggested substitutes.  Honey was easy enough and I used that in the dressing.

Refrigerate salad until served. Tastes great at room temp, served immediately, or chilled.

The dressing was poured into the salad bowl and I mixed well.  I put the bowl into the fridge until dinner, to chill for a while.   The salad isn’t meant to be to totally chilled, from what I could tell on the blog.  It was just fine with only an hour of refrigeration.

Charred Zucchini Sweet Corn Mexican Salad

The salad was slightly chilled and we had it with pulled pork on buns for dinner.  We loved the salad!  So many flavors going on, it was a super nice change from plain ole corn on the cob.  The salad had a good snap of heat from the jalapeno and a nice zing from the dressing.  I’d used freshly squeezed lime juice and you can tell the difference in this salad.

Charred Zucchini Sweet Corn Salad

• Servings: 6-8 servings
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Charred corn, zucchini and sweet bell pepper in a zingy dressing makes a fabulously tasty salad!

• 1/2 red onion (about 1/2 cup; you could use a white or yellow onion instead)
• 1 small jalapeno pepper
• 2 small zucchini; ends cut off and halved lengthwise
• 1 small summer squash; ends cut off and halved lengthwise
• 1 sweet red bell pepper; cut in half and cored
• 5 ears sweet corn; husks removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro; minced

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup lime juice (use fresh for the best flavor- it took one lime)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon agave syrup or honey (I used honey)
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro; minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Dice red onion and add to a large bowl.  Dice jalapeno finely and add to bowl.

Rub zucchini, sweet pepper, and corn with olive oil. Heat a grill to medium-high heat, then grill veggies directly on grates until zucchini and pepper are tender and corn is slightly charred.

Remove zucchinis from heat and slice fairly thin.  Add to bowl.

Cut corn off of cob and add to bowl.

Chop cilantro finely and add to bowl.  Set aside.

Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk all dressing ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour dressing over salad and toss to evenly coat. Chill salad until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Adapted from Whole and Heavenly Oven