The In-Betweens

Southwestern Grilled Corn Salad

with cherry tomatoes, fresh cilantro and jalapeño

SOUND BITE

This crisp, colorful and impossibly delicious salad was rated 11/10 by my always-willing taste-tester and neighbor, Mary. Serve it at your next backyard cookout and expect an empty bowl at the end of the gathering. It pairs well with grilled anything: beef, pork, chicken, shrimp or portobello mushrooms.

Slicing Corn off the Cob

This crazy-good corn salad starts with fresh corn on the cob, transformed from plain to insanely sweet and smoky by a hot grill. 

But once you’ve got that beautiful char, you need to get the corn off the cob—and that’s where things can get tricky.

There are many ways to do it, but here’s my easy, mess-free method:
Grab a large bowl and place a small bowl upside down in it.

Stand the corn upright on the smaller bowl, then use a sharp knife to slice 
straight down the cob.

The kernels will fall into the large bowl instead of flying all over your kitchen or cutting board.

Bonus tip? If you have a bundt pan, use that instead—the hole in the center is perfect for holding the cob in place.

Fresh corn is best, but if it’s out of season, no problem. You can still make this salad with frozen or canned corn. 

Just heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a hot skillet, then add drained, canned corn or thawed, frozen corn and cook until it develops that golden-brown charred goodness.

Grilled Corn Salad is bold, smoky and addictive, so be warned: Once you bring it to a summer gathering, you’re officially known as “The Corn Salad Person” for the rest of your life.