Make Ahead

Cold Corn Salad with Some Heat

June 22, 2011
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  • Serves 4-5 as a side dish
Author Notes

Last summer my husband and I were lucky enough to attend a series of Southern BBQ classes taught by Kevin and Clara Bevington, BBQ champions many many times over (see http://www.homebbq.com/index.php/about).

The notes from our first class were scrawled on a bit creased loose-leaf and covered in wine stains (it was a very fun evening!). From them I did my best to recreate Kevin’s creamy hot corn casserole.

Since taking those classes I’ve changed the recipe a little bit (main alterations: less butter and cream cheese, fresh jalapenos instead of jarred and the addition of cilantro). Check out my version of Kevin’s recipe on my blog, Cook the Story, here: http://www.cookthestory.com/2011/06/02/trading-corn-for-mangoes/

I’ve also created this cold dairy-free version of Kevin’s dish. Its jalapeno heat and sweet tanginess will be happy to tag along on any summer picnic.

If you want the salad to stay nice and cold even when packed in a picnic basket, use frozen corn (undefrosted!) and skip the kernel-toasting step. But then be sure to keep the cilantro separate until serving so it doesn’t get limp. And, make sure the kernels have defrosted before eating otherwise you'll have a Crunchy Cold Corn Salad. Yikes!

(Note: If you don't like a lot of spicy heat, feel free to reduce the number of jalapeno peppers.)
Cook the Story

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 cups corn (you can either shave it from 3-4 cobs of corn or use frozen kernels, defrosted (also see note above about using undefrosted corn))
  • 1/2 of a red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely minced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
  1. Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the corn kernels and spread them in a single layer. Ignore them for a few minutes. Check their undersides for browning. If browned, stir them up and then neglect them for another couple of minutes. Repeat until all the kernels have light brown spots. Remove the corn from the heat and allow it to cool off. (Note, you can instead grill the corn on the cob and then shave off the kernels.)
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the cooled corn with the remaining ingredients.
  3. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to nestle it between a bottle of wine, a blanket and some fried chicken. Happy picnicking!

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1 Review

hardlikearmour June 22, 2011
This sounds like perfect summer food.