Every week on Foodie Friday cookbook author and Gourmet Warehouse founder Caren McSherry joins CKNW’s Simi Sara with another recipe to wow your guests and up your game in the kitchen.
It’s barbecue season, which means odds are you’ve got a dinner or two on the social schedule where you’ll need an easy dish to share.
This bright and colourful salad is perfect for a simple buffet and makes use of fresh, seasonal corn.
This salad marries well with grilled salmon or barbecued chicken as your main. If by chance there are leftovers, they both make for a perfect lunch combination the next day.
LISTEN: Foodie Friday – Corn, corn, corn!
What you need
For the salad
- Five cobs fresh corn
- Two cups of black beans cooked, or three cups canned black beans rinsed and drained
- Half a bunch of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- Two avocados, peeled and cubed
- One cup crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese
For the dressing
- One large shallot, diced fine
- Two small garlic cloves, minced
- One tablespoon of chili paste
- One tablespoon of rice vinegar
- One tablespoon of soy sauce
- One tablespoon of sesame oil
- One tablespoon of dry mustard powder
- Zest of one small lime
- Juice of one small lime (one tablespoon)
- Two-thirds of a cup of grapeseed oil
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How to do it
For the salad
- Peel the corn and grill it over medium low heat on your barbeque. Keep the cobs moving so they do not scorch. You want them evenly browned on all sides. Remove and cool
- Strip the kernels from the cob and place them in a bowl. Add the beans and cilantro
- Pour the dressing over and toss to coat well. Adjust the seasoning with sea salt and ground pepper
- Transfer to your serving platter
- Just before serving, sprinkle the avocado cubes and goat cheese over the top. Do not toss as the avocado will become mushy
For the dressing
- Place the shallot, garlic, chili paste, vinegar, soy, sesame, mustard powder, zest and lime juice in a three cup mixing bowl
- Whisk all the ingredients together, then, in a slow steady stream, drizzle in the oil, whisking the entire time The dressing will come together in a smooth creamy consistency
- Adjust the seasoning to suit your taste
- Pour over the salad as directed
This dish serves six to eight people.
If time is tight you can use canned black beans in place of dry beans, just rinse them well and let them sit for a few minutes to dry off.
If fresh corn is not available, substitute with two 14-ounce cans of kernel corn drained, rinsed and blotted dry on kitchen towels.
Once the most of the moisture is evaporated, place the corn in a cast iron pan, along with one tablespoon of grapeseed oil and roast it that way.
Keep shaking the pan to encourage even browning. Cool and add to the salad.
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