Now that we are on the cusp of grilling season I'm digging out some of my favourite grilling recipes. They are plenty of folks who prefer a sweetish fruit salsa as an accompaniment to grilled meat and while I'll never turn my nose up at that, I tend to prefer a savoury salsa. This corn salsa is a perfect example of this.
Grilling the corn before you make this salsa recipe gives the dish great depth of flavor. Use this charred corn salsa as a side or incorporate it into your next taco recipe. It also makes a great topping for grilled meats and fish. I grilled a marinated Tri Tip a few weeks ago and this salsa went well with it.
One of the unexpected treats from grilling fruits and vegetables is that like roasting the grilling process can bring out depths of flavours in produce that is not at the peak of freshness. The corn on the cob that I bought for this salsa was from the US. Now I know their sweet corn season finished up last fall so those ears of corn had been sitting in a cold storage for more than 6 months. Once grilled, you'd never know the corn wasn't more fresh than that.
Charred Corn Salsa
4 medium ears corn, husks removed
1 pint red and/or yellow cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, very finely chopped
Juice of 1 medium lime
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
Salt
Heat an outdoor gas grill to medium or prepare a charcoal grill for indirect heat. A grill pan over medium heat will work as well.
Grill the corn uncovered until some the kernels are bright yellow and a few are charred, 2 to 3 minutes per side, for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the corn from the grill and cool for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and lime juice in a medium bowl. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob, and add to the bowl. Season with salt and stir to combine.