We broke out the grill over the weekend for one of our famous burger nights (they’re famous to us at least – burger night is always an exciting time).  I came prepared to burger night with plenty of veggies in the line up to make the most out of the burning coals while we were eating and enjoying the warm evening air.  In the line up, we had a big pile of zucchini from our garden, onions, and corn – all destined for this grilled corn salad later in the week.

After we grilled and chilled, I packed up all of the veggies and stored them in the fridge for a couple of days until it was salad time.  With all of the veggies pre-cooked on the grill, the salad came together relatively quickly, minus for some chopping time.  The grilled veggies bring a great smoky, charred note to this salad that is quintessentially summer.  I used salsa as the tomato component which also served as a dressing to the salad, which brings the heat while keeping this salad light and low on oil. 

Feel free to add any fresh herbs (cilantro would be awesome!), avocado, queso fresco, or feta to this as well to add more protein and heft to the salad.  This would also be a great component of a grain bowl, southwest-style salad, or served as a side to grilled chicken, beef, or BBQ.  Smaller amounts of this salad could also be put together from any leftovers from a BBQ or grill night – I just made a lot for meal prep purposes!

Hope this salad makes an appearance in your summer grilling rotation!  It was definitely a winner in ours, and we can’t wait to make it again!  Recipe down below, photo up top!

Grilled Corn Salad with Zucchini and Salsa

Ingredients:

• 8 ears of corn on the cob
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3-4 banana peppers
  • Can swap with any sweet pepper of choice – bell peppers would work great!
• 4 zucchini, sliced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ cup salsa of choice
• Salt to taste

Method:

1. Prep the vegetables for the grill:
   1. Wrap the corn in foil in packs of 4 ears of corn per pack.  This will allow the corn to steam while roasting slowly on the grill.
   1. Cut the stem end off of the peppers and cut in half lengthwise.  Remove the seeds and inner membranes of the peppers.
   1. Remove the stem end of the onion and remove the skin.  Slice the onions into slabs about ½ inch thick until the root end is reached.  Discard the root end of the onion.
   1. Slice the zucchini in half (if large) crosswise, and into 3-4 slabs by slicing lengthwise.
2. Grill the vegetables:
   1. Place corn packets on the grill and allow to cook slowly, about 15-20 minutes until fully cooked through.
   1. Add peppers, zucchini, and onions as they fit on the grill.  Check for charring and turn as they acquire grill marks and char on each side.  Remove when both sides have been cooked through.
3. Chill the vegetables in the refrigerator for another time, or wait until they are cool enough to handle.
4. Chop the vegetables:
   1. For the corn, remove the kernels by carefully running a knife between the bottom of the kernels (should be soft from cooking) and the cob (should feel hard/fibrous).  Rotate the corn cobs and continue to run the knife down the length of the corn cob to remove all of the kernels.  Repeat for remaining corn cobs.
   1. For the peppers, cut across into thin slices.
   1. For the onions, slice across into large dice.
   1. For the zucchini, slice in half lengthwise and then across to form large dice.
5. Transfer chopped vegetables to a bowl.  Add black beans, salsa and salt, stir to combine.
6. Enjoy!