Corn Salad with Cilantro & Caramelized Onions
Corn salad!
The ingredients for the salad: red onion, corn, olive oil, cilantro, balsamic vinegar, sugar and pancetta.
Pancetta cubes await their fate.
We love the color of a beautiful red onion -- especially in summer.
Pancetta's ready!
Using some of the fat from the pancetta, plus olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a dash of sugar, we softened the chopped red onion and let it gently caramelize.
Yum.
After a quick swim in boiling water, the corn cobs were stripped of their kernels.
Lots of fresh cilantro makes this salad sing.
We didn't want to waste even one little piece of onion!
Mixing everything together (the pancetta patiently awaits it turn at stage left).
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Author Notes: The good recipes get passed along from friend to friend like a game of telephone, with each cook adding their own twist until the last version is barely distinguishable from the first. This corn salad is one of those. My recipe was inspired by my friend Sandra, who brought it to a BBQ one day, where it was love at first bite. Her recipe was inspired by our friend Chris, and who knows where it truly began but it always ends with an empty bowl. Simple summer goodness. When I told Sandra she should enter the recipe in this contest, she said that I should enter my version instead, so here we are....Pass it on. - Ms. T - Ms. T
Food52 Review: Over the years, we've met and loved many a corn salad. The cool, sweet crunch practically screams summer, and the variations are endless. Ms. T's version includes a technique we've never seen before: first, she has you cook down red onion in balsamic vinegar and olive oil -- as the onion pieces soften into silky, purple jewels, they simultaneously create a rich, deeply flavored dressing for the rest of the salad. Once you toss this luscious mass with crisp pancetta cubes, fresh cilantro and barely cooked kernels of corn, you've got a corn salad that breaks new ground. We couldn't stop eating it, right from the bowl. - A&M - A&M
Serves 6
- 6 ears of fresh corn
- 6 slices pancetta
- 1 large red onion, peeled and diced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Cook the corn on the cob in a large pot of boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain hot water and plunge corn into a bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Drain corn and set aside to cool completely.
- Dice pancetta and cook in a heavy skillet over medium heat until brown and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to transfer pancetta to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside.
- Pour off most of the pancetta fat from skillet, leaving a little goodness left in the pan for cooking your onions. Add oil, onions, vinegar, sugar, and dash of salt to pan, and cook over medium-low heat. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, stirring frequently until onions are caramelized and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove pan from heat and set aside.
- Cut corn kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl. Add onion mixture and cilantro and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper and if it seems dry, add a little more olive oil.
- If you’re making this ahead of time, cover and put it in the fridge. Take salad out about 3o minutes before serving to take chill off. Stir in ccrispy pancetta just before serving.
- Your Best Corn off the Cob Contest Winner!
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over 1 year ago mward
This is such a great way to have corn...
over 1 year ago DAVILCHICK
I was in a rush so I cheated and bought Trader Joe's frozen. Totally yum and easy. Thanks Ms. T!
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Thanks--glad you liked it! And good to know that frozen corn is an option--several people have asked about that.
over 1 year ago SEW
YUM!
over 1 year ago java&foam
amanda and merrill were right about this one, i totally found myself sneaking bites of it in the kitchen before i took it out to my guests. its addictive and you cannot stop. thanks for sharing this great idea Ms. T!
over 1 year ago adorrain
Are you kidding me??? This is amazing. Absolutely amazing. Thank you for this perfect August-in-the-midwest recipe. I can't wait to bring this to a potluck and be the star.
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Ha, this made me laugh. No joke. Glad you liked it :)
over 1 year ago deanna1001
YES!!!! This was divine.
over 1 year ago mzmecz
My husband loves corn but I do not. The caramelized onions were the ingredient that drew me in. Happily, very happily, we were both delighted with the result and will prepare this dish all summer long.
Thanks for a lovely contribution to harmonious living at our house.
over 1 year ago ttfn300
Made this last week (with some slight variations) for a BBQ and it was a hit!
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Glad it was a hit. What your variations? I love to hear about those.
over 1 year ago Bevi
I made this for dinner last night. It was wonderful! I cut the recipe by one third because I had 4 ears of corn. It was addictive, a great combination of flavors, and the crisp pancetta
was the star of the dish. I think this combination could be made with either raw corn or grilled corn as well.
over 1 year ago Bevi
And I just made another batch for a neighbor who has the "cilantro tastes like soap" gene, so I made a substitution of parsley for her. It was good - I prefer using cilantro - but at least makes this recipe accessible to the "no cilantro" crowd.
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Glad you enjoyed it! My friend Sandra--whose recipe inspired my version--makes it with grilled corn, and our friend Chris--whose recipe inspired Sandra's--makes his with raw corn, so round and round we go :)
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Ha ha, yeah, I have some anti-cilantro friends too (I love them anyway), and I have substituted basil before. Not bad, but you can't beat the cilantro!
over 1 year ago AntoniaJames
AntoniaJames is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
Fresh marjoram would be perfect in this, if you don't want to use cilantro. It's corn's best friend, though many people don't realize it. Use just the tiniest amount at first, adding more to taste, especially if you're picking your marjoram leaves off of a plant that's been in full sunlight/heat all day; the flavor of raw marjoram can be intense, especially under those circumstances. I was planning on making this tonight, and have just decided to try it this way! ;o)
over 1 year ago Bevi
Majoram - thanks for the tip, AJ!
over 1 year ago Rust Queen
Made this tonight and we love it. Think it could also be good with a finely chopped Serrano pepper mixed in
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Mmm, that sounds like a nice way to add a little heat. That would probably be good with grilled corn to take it in a Southwestern direction.
over 1 year ago Ms. T
Thanks for the feedback--I'm so glad to hear that people are trying, enjoying, adding new twists and passing it on :)
@ yasminny: duck bacon sounds like a fantastic substitution! Where do you get duck bacon, I'd like to try that.
@ Lori Hahn: oooh, arugala and cherry tomatoes sound like a great compliment.
over 1 year ago yasminny
I love this recipe! I substituted duck bacon for pancetta and it worked very well. Addictive said my husband. Thanks for sharing Ms. T!
over 1 year ago jenniebites
mmmmm, the onions carmelized in olive oil AND balsamic? they are amazing. i have a large bowl in front of me right now. i will be sure to pass it on.
over 1 year ago Lori Hahn
Yes, this is a winner! Made it for dinner last night and served it over arugula with some sun gold cherry tomatoes!
over 1 year ago isabelita
Yummm! Cannot wait to try this dish. Caramelized onions and cilantro, delicious.
over 1 year ago Mary McKnight
Just made this for supper -- so easy, and wonderfully delicious! This is definitely going to be making a reappearance on our table!
almost 2 years ago AnnP
This salad is so delicious! We tried it for dinner last night but didn't vote because we hadn't tried the other recipe (dairy restrictions) Thanks for sharing!
almost 2 years ago lorigoldsby
Congrats! What a yummy salad, we enjoyed it very much!
almost 2 years ago gingerroot
Congratulations on the win, Ms. T! What a lovely summer salad.
almost 2 years ago Ms. T
Wow. I'm beyond thrilled. It has meant so much to me to get all these nice comments from wonderful cooks all over the place. Thank you all for making Food52 such a great community!
And thank you to my friends Chris and Sandra for the recipe inspiration. WE won!
Now on to cherry tomatoes :)