Corn Salad
I have a bone to pick with corn. How can something be so delicious and so infuriating at the same time?
The noise most people make when eating corn off the cob makes my skin crawl, plus your teeth get filled with strings! As a child I remember picking the corn kernels off one by one and eating them to avoid all of that, bar the sound of others gnawing on the cob which I tensed and gritted my way through.
But you can’t let the difficulties of corn get in your way, because it taste fantastic! Ignore that packaged frozen stuff, leave that for the depths of winter, or reserve it for corn fritters or soup. Wait until you see big bins full of ears of corn, still husked, in the fruit shop make this simple dish. Some kernels get fried and browned, other are tender and juicy but all of them are cut off the cob – the only sound you will here is the occasional ooh and ahh as this dish almost silently disappears.
Corn Salad
Serves 2, as an accompaniment.
3 cobs of corn
1/2 red chilli (or more, depending on taste), finely sliced
1 lebanese cucumber, peeled and diced
1 bunch of coriander, stems chopped finely, leaves picked.
5 spring onions, washed and sliced on the diagonal
1 lime, juiced,
1 clove garlic, pulverised (optional)
olive oil
salt and pepper.
Clean and wash corn cobs. Either grill the corn, or if you don’t have a BBQ or a grill pan; heat 1T oil in a large pan. Add corn and sprinkle of seat salt and fry, turning regularly for 2 or 3 mins until some kernels are starting to brown. Add 1/2 cup water and cover. You want to just cook the corn and evaporate off all the water, then fry the corn some more to brown more kernels and blacken some for a smoky flavour.
When ready remove from pan and carefully slice the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife (this will be difficult as the corn will be hot, so lay cob down on a board and hold it with a tea-towel). Mix together with all the other ingredients plus another slug of extra virgin olive oil and taste to adjust seasoning. It should be warm and spicy and smoky and irresistible.
Serve alongside steak, fish or chicken or as a part of a larger Mexican-style meal, or eat on its own, as I often do.
This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.
14 Comments
Oohh I love corn but I agree the stringy bits can get really gah. This looks simple and delish and I love the idea of adding to steak hee hee ^^!
I relish the idea of a simple yet tasty salad, as corny as that may be. Looks fantastic!
I know how you feel about eating off the cob, at least from an eaters perspective. I usually go a single row at a time to avoid squirts & minimise the need for post-meal excavation.
Yum I love grilled corn with butter!
This might sound a little weird, but ever since I saw this looney tunes cartoon, I used to eat corn in rows, pretending that I was a typewriter (when you get to the end of a row, the bell goes ding! and you zip back to the start of a new row).
Hmm.. that sounds weird now that I’ve actually put it down in words.. maybe I shouldn’t have told you that..
I’ve been hogging away on corn all summer! I love doing things like this, and will try this combo tonight..
i totally “hear” what you’re saying (pun intended?) about the noise of corn-cob eaters. but i’m so freaking sick of winter that i LONG for that slurping, chomping sound! i can not wait for the first bit of fresh corn to be available.
I am crazy over corn, especially white corn which is so juicy and sweet. The first two pics are great, like corn food porn!
Y, the thought that first came to mind when I read the post was those crows. However, you’re along with the ding! when you reach the end of the corn
That sounds yummy and would certainly reduce the need for dental floss afterwards.
FFichiban: Yeah, get rid of those pesky strings and fresh sweet corn is a delight!
Simon: Haha corny! It is so simple and delicious that I made it again last night
Y: Haha Y, that is hilarious! So cute, I can just imagine it now. Eating one row at a time does help with the stringiness though.
Reemski: Oh, what a great word for eating corn, hogging! Perfect! Hope it works out for you.
we are never full: I am not looking forward to winter, everything seems to bleak! No bright sun-shiney corn. Good luck with the waiting!
Arwen: Yes! Though you should still floss – or so my dentist tells me!
Lorraine: (sorry I missed your comment!) Haha Corn Porn! Where do you get white corn? I haven’t seen any around, but I love vegies with whacky colours – like purple potatoes. This salad would be beautiful make with a selection of coloured corn
Wow, this looks delicious too! This is a perfect simple salad. With all these lovely ingredients it must be so flavorful.
Thnx for stopping by the blog
. This corn salad is inspiring me to rescue the corn cobs that die a slow death in my weekly fresh produce basket … every single week!
i LOVE corn
i have it all the time (the frozen type) with rice and tuna for my lunch most times of the week
i also enjoy it in butter and lemon, butter and mayo
butter
mmm
and yes i HATE eating it off the cob (but if i do eat it, i eat it very neatly 3 rows at a time)
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