charred corn salad with tomatoes and chickpeas
I was hungover and needed all the hydrating veggies, so I made salad.
J and I celebrated our anniversary on Monday with lots of food and lots of wine, so it was only logical that throughout the morning Tuesday I slowly descended into a nice little alcohol fog. Walking around Target on my grocery run my energy just went kerplunk – straight up heard it plop on the floor and dissolve in the coffee aisle – and I didn’t want to do jack shit the rest of the day.
But, we needed to eat, and all I had prepared was leftover pasta and twenty jars of varying dressings. I didn’t want to be assed with cooking much (not unusual right now), and corn was cheap, so I compromised with myself and decided to grill it.
Smoke engulfed the upstairs of my house because my grill pan is rather dramatic when I slap any food item on its hot grates, but the result was worth the aggressive fan action and open doors. Salad just sounded fab and corn is gettin’ pretty cheap. I can safely say this bowl is helpful in calming hangovers.
Not medical advice, just anecdotal. Don’t sue me.
Grilled corn, despite the unnecessary fog, is fantastic and sits well with the rest of the fresh, snappy ingredients in this Charred Corn Salad. Salty feta, creamy avocado, bubbly cherry tomatoes, and a can of chickpeas hang out with our corny pal. Aside from giving the corn a good roasting, the rest of the salad is a simple toss-and-serve affair, and we accompany the colorful collection with a simple dijon cider vinaigrette.
A prescription for the Wine Flu, fellas.
Char-izard
Charizard is called Charizard because he’s a lizard who chars shit because he breathes fire.
WOW. That correlation took me my whole life to figure out.
Alright, enough about Pokemon (though, sidebar, I bought so many packs of cards because I really wanted a holographic Charizard, which was apparently one of the most valuable cards you could get. I never found one.) To char corn, a dry and hot skillet, grill, or grill pan is the easiest way I’ve found to prepare the kernels. You can broil them, but the process is a bit longer and more tedious, and the house will get real hot real fast. Not ideal when it’s hellishly balls warm outside.
I used my grill pan, which is a smoky little fuck probably because I suck at cleaning it. Whatever vessel you use, raise the heat to medium high and plop on your husked corn cobs. Make sure the hairs and all of the skins are removed from the corn – a few strays won’t hurt, but they’ll burn pretty aggressively.
Charring the corn all over takes about 10-12 minutes. I found it helpful on my grill pan to set a paper towel on my cobs and place a small skillet on top of that to press the corn into the grates and get a nice darkening. Turn your corn every couple minutes to cook all sides.
Pull the corns off the heat and let them cool. Getting the kernels off cleanly requires a little finesse, but it isn’t too bad. I sliced each cob in half, then firmly cut down the kernels with a sharp knife. There’s likely tutorials online that describe this much better than I.
Mustard Flustered
While the corns cool, I prep the rest of my components so I don’t get impatient and try to shred them while they’re too hot to logically handle.
First, the dressing. This is a big go-to vinaigrette I like to make for all kinds of salads, but especially in the summertime. Extra virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, peach preserves (honey is fine, too), garlic, oregano, and a good heap of dijon mustard. Shake or stir it up and taste for salt and pepper. Nothing fancy, but always effective on a heaping bowl of greens.
The other components are pretty standard around my house. It was actually the feta that got the wheels turning on this recipe, because I always seem to have an awkward amount of feta in my fridge. So, use your awkward portion of feta, as well as lots of shredded romaine, a can of chickpeas, some sweet cherry tomatoes, and a nice avocado. A nice one, not one of those rude old bastards.
I actually meant to use some pickled onions, too, but forgot, so feel free to add them if you have a better attention span than I.
All you need to do thereafter is shred the kernels and toss everything together. If serving right away, feel free to drizzle some of the dressing over your goodies before you mix, but if you plan to have leftovers, leave the dressing on the side. Also, you can swap out the romaine for another green if you prefer. Arugula or kale are nice subs.
I usually do the flipping and turning in a big bowl, then transfer it to a nice serving bowl and sprinkle with fresh basil and lots of black pepper. Yumbo.
If you’re vegan, you can omit the feta entirely or use a plant-based version if you have one you like to make this salad appropriate for your needs. I don’t enjoy vegan cheese, so I rarely use it myself, but if you do, go for it!
You can chuck in a lot of different veggies if you have extras lying around. Cucumber or olives sneak their way into my bowls quite frequently.
Enjoy your wine, then enjoy your salad. Balance, friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
More bountiful bowls to try:
Chipotle Quinoa Orzo Taco Salad with Cilantro Ranch
Basic-Ass House Salad with Crunchy Italian Croutons
Marinated Tomato Caprese Salad with Creamy Garlic Dressing
Spicy Blackened Shrimp and Avocado Greek Salad
charred corn salad with tomatoes and chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 ears yellow corn, husked
- 4-6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 1 can chickpeas, drained
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved if large
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 1 cup feta cheese, cubed
- fresh basil and cracked black pepper, to serve
dijon vinaigrette
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp peach preserves (or honey)
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
- Strip the husks and hairs off the corn as well as you can. Heat a grill, grill pan, or dry skillet over medium-high. Add the corn and cook about 10-12 minutes, turning every 2-3, until all sides are charred. Let cool, then take a sharp knife and carefully slice off the kernels.
- To make the vinaigrette, shake or stir in a jar or bowl the olive oil, cider vinegar, peach preserves/honey, dijon mustard, oregano, garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- In a very large bowl, add the romaine, corn, chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, and feta cheese. If serving immediately, toss with a couple spoonfuls of the vinaigrette until combined. If you plan to have leftovers, don't add the dressing just yet.
- Divide the salad into bowls and serve with extra vinaigrette, fresh basil, and freshly cracked black pepper, as desired. A crusty bread doesn't hurt either!
