Grilled Corn & Chipotle-Lime Salad
Summer in a bowl.
Living in New England, one of best things about summer (a long list, I know) is fresh, local corn. As a kid, my Papa would bring two dozen corn to our beach house every weekend, like clockwork– and until I was old enough to pawn the task off on my younger cousins, I’d begrudgingly shuck it all. And it was worth it, every time.
I still love classic corn on the cob, boiled & buttered– but my new fave is grilled, 110%. The combination of sweet corn + grilled char is *chef’s kiss*, and it doesn’t get much easier than tossing your veggie(s) right on the grill alongside dinner.
This easy salad has quickly become a staple this crazy-busy summer, and is the perfect side to any grilled protein– especially steak with chimichurri. It’s fresh, snappy, spicy & sweet, and a little creamy from the goat cheese. Happy grilling!
Let’s cook!
You’ll need:
4 medium-large ears sweet corn, shucked
2 poblano peppers
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 of a red onion, finely diced
2 fresh limes, juiced
13oz can of black beans, rinsed & drained
1/2 c crumbled goat cheese
1 handful fresh parsley, cilantro, or basil
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sauce of chiles in adobo
1/2 tsp adobo seasoning
1/2 tsp crushed chipotle chili (or more)
~1/2 c avocado oil
Salt & fresh-cracked pepper
Makes 4-6 servings.
Steps:
Preheat the grill. Meanwhile, brush the shucked corn & whole poblanos with avocado oil. Once the grill is hot, place directly on the grates– grill until nicely charred on all sides, turning occasionally.
Meanwhile, or beforehand– combine tomatoes, diced onion, black beans (make sure they are well-drained!), goat cheese crumbles, and chopped herb of choice in a large mixing bowl. Season with ~1 tsp of salt & several cranks of black pepper.
In a separate bowl or container, prepare the dressing– combine 1/4c of the avocado oil, fresh lime juice, honey, chile-adobo sauce, chipotle chili and adobo seasoning. Whisk!
Once the veggies are sufficiently charred, remove from the grill and set aside. When cool enough to handle, remove the blistered skin from the poblanos, cut off the stem-ends, and squeeze the seeds out of the open end with the back of a knife. Discard the seeds, dice the pepper, and add to bowl.
Standing the corn up on one end in a bowl/plate, use a sharp knife to cut the charred kernels from each of the cobs. Add to the mixing bowl, discarding the cobs.
Pour dressing over the bowl of veggies, and mix well until fully combined & coated. Garnish with additional herbs, cheese crumbles and/or lime juice, if you’d like!
