It’s summer – the temp says 85 degrees…liar! It’s more like 95 degrees! Another thing that temperature gauge means is that it’s Fresh Corn Season. And not just any corn, Florida Corn. My favorite specialty veggie vendors have been closed all winter and spring getting ready for May and the annual Fraizer Corn Opening Day. Around here, it may as well be a holiday – I know I’d use it as an excuse to duck out of work on an extended lunch break! …Only, if my co-workers knew where I was going, they’d hand me a list. That said, I’ll have to tell you all about them later. Their first harvest was a bit late due to the ton of rain we got a couple of weeks ago, so all that was available was yellow corn and it was just picked this last Monday. I’ll wait for the SilverQueen to come in and ready raid that barn!
Until then, I’ve had to suffice with some of the little lovelies from my another fave, Publix. They had corn on sale and looked good, real good. I had a recipe I’d been wanting to make. I was at that store about a week prior and one of the ‘cooking ladies’ was doing a demo of a ‘Quesadilla Bake, and ‘Corn & Chili Taco Salad’. So, I picked up a sample and the bake was ok, then I tried the corn – OMG! So Good! As I turned to ask my Mom, who was there at the time, if she liked it as well, another customer exclaimed something positive in an incredibly thick Spanish accent. I turned back to see an older clean-cut gentleman who looked to be of Mexican heritage, and smiled. We all stood there smiling and making happy food noises – I know you do it too! As we handed our cleared plates to the Publix employee, I mentioned to her, “Now, you know it’s a good recipe when he likes it!” I picked up the recipe card and off I went. Fast forward a few days and I needed something to accompany some grilled steaks. Perfect.
Forget that taco salad action – make this as a fresh corn salad and serve it all summer with everything !! In a taco, on the side like a slaw, I even caught myself adding the little bit leftover to a TexMex casserole I’d made. (waste not!) This calls for chiles and I promised earlier that I’d give you a recipe to use those DIY jarred green chiles. Now you have an even better reason to make them too. Get yourself to your favorite veggie stand or store and follow along…
Fresh Corn Salad
Step 1:
4 ears of Fresh Corn
1 – 4oz jar Chopped Green Chiles (drained)
½ cup Spicy Ranch Dressing
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup Scallions, chopped
¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
Step 2:
Shuck the corn and cut it from the cob. I like using this tall sided bowl (an Ikea cheapie!! ), that way the kernels don’t go all over and the small bottom means the cob won’t go far if it slips. Another good tool is a tube cake pan (like a bundt or angel food). Prop the cob in the center to hold it and the kernels fall away into the pan. So, crafty like that!
Step 3:
Get everybody else into the bowl. If you’re like me, you’ll need to make the dressing. That’s fine, I just add some mayo, buttermilk (or kefir), to a tiny bowl and whisk in some dry ranch dressing (I have a recipe for that too), TacoBell hot sauce, and some juice from that jar of chiles. Now that’s a spicy Ranch Dressing!!
Step 4 & 5:
Now get the that lime juiced and added in. This is not an ingredient to forget – that lime juice makes it bright and summery. Where’s my margarita ?!
Step 5: Wow – I can squeeze a lime and hold the camera ! (showin’ off)
That’s it ! Mix it up and devour!! Next time, I’ll add in less dressing. But even though, the taste take me to a summer afternoon on the Mexican riviera – no plane ticket or shots required!
- 4 ears of Fresh Corn
- 1 – 4oz jar Chopped Green Chiles (drained)
- ½ cup Spicy Ranch Dressing
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup Scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup Cilantro, chopped
- Shuck the corn and cut from the cob.
- Get everything into a bowl and combine !
- So easy - you just can't screw it up!!
Gather up:
