Crispy, crunchy, creamy, charred, tangy, spicy, fresh – this salad has it all!

Dare I say that about my own recipe? I think I just did and I hope you’ll try it and see for yourself. The stars in this charred corn salad are of course the charred corn, the crispy gem lettuce, the herbs and that tangy umami dressing. If you can get a hold of good avocados I’d highly recommend cutting them into it as well but don’t stress if you can’t get a hold of them as this salad is good either way.

Make it a meal by cooking up some tofu or tempeh steaks or skewers to go along with it. Or simply serve it as a side dish with whatever you’ve got cooking this season, it is pretty versatile! I’m sure it would go down great at a late summer barbecue where you could grill the corn instead of charring it on the hob like I do in the recipe. It also pairs really nicely as a side with your favourite tacos!

 

Malin x

Charred Corn Salad

Serves 4-6.

INGREDIENTS:

For the dressing:

1,5 tbsp white miso paste

1 lime, zest and juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive olive oil

1 tsp maple syrup

Salt, to taste

For the salad:

2 fresh sweetcorn cobs

0,5 tbsp rapeseed oil or equivalent

1 jalapeño pepper

2-3 gem lettuce heads, depending on their size

1 small red onion

0,5 cups chopped chives

0,5 cup loosely packed fresh flat leaf parsley

2 avocados, optional

Flaked sea salt, optional

METHOD:

Make the dressing first by whisking together all the ingredients in a bowl or jar until it is emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If you find it too sharp add a little splash of water and whisk it again until you reach your preferred balance, keep in mind however that it should be a little sharp and that this will mellow out when you mix it into the salad.

To char the corn heat a griddle pan over medium heat while you remove the husk on the corn cobs. Then remove all the silks from the cob and discard along with the husks.

Clean the corn in some water and then pat it dry. Place a quarter of the oil in one hand and rub it all over one of the corn cobs. Repeat until all the cobs are oiled.

Char the corn on the griddle pan for roughly 10 minutes or until nicely charred all the way around. Turning the corn every other minute or so.

Also place the jalapeño pepper on the griddle pan to lightly char as well. It will cook quicker than the corn so keep an eye on it and turn often. It should have a deeper colour, char marks and have softened slightly when it’s done. This usually takes about 5 minutes.

Once the corn and jalapeño pepper are nicely charred cut the corn kernels off the cob and de-seed and finely chop the pepper.

Cut the ends off your gem lettuce and peel the leaves one by one. If the leaves are quite big cut them in half otherwise keep them whole. Clean the leaves and if you have a salad spinner feel free to spin them dry. Otherwise leave in a collander to drip dry a little.

Chop the chives as fine as you’d like and rip the parsley leaves roughly.

Peel the onion and cut into thin half moon slices.

Cut open the avocados and remove the pips. Peel the halves and cut into chunky bite sized pieces.

Pat the gem lettuce dry if using the drip method and place in a large salad bowl. Pour most of the dressing over the leaves and toss to coat.

Layer the remaining ingredients over the gem lettuce leaves to create an interesting array of shapes. Finish with the remaining dressing and sprinkling of flaked sea salt if you wish.

autumn avocado charred chives corn corn salad gem lettuce jalapeno lime miso dressing miso paste parsley salad summer sweetcorn