Fall is coming on quickly and one of my favorite summer vegetables is about to go into hibernation for the winter. I’m talking fresh, sweet corn on the cob, not corn from the freezer. I am still a firm believer that the really sweetest corn on the cob I’ve ever had was back East. I’ve had great corn out here, but I think it’s not as consistently good as it was back home.
It seems the sweetest corns of the summer in California are the earlier batches — followed by good corn but not always as sweet. Sometimes, however, I’ll find a batch that’s super sweet and that means corn on the cob every night for a week.
That is what happened last week. I happened to be in WinCo and stopped to check out the corn. It looked great, so I picked up a couple ears and, wow, it might have been the best corn I’ve had this summer. As fate would have it, I got a call from the doctor’s office and had to go back to Reno two days later. Since I was there, I picked up a whole slew of corn. I had grilled corn with dinner the first two nights and then, since I was going to make tacos the third night, I grilled more corn for a salsa.
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“A lot of people shuck the corn before grilling, but I like to grill first
and then shuck to keep the corn moist and plump.”
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When I think of corn salsa, I usually think of a combination of corn and beans, but since the beans can take over, I made this one without any.
A lot of people shuck the corn before grilling, but I like to grill first and then shuck to keep the corn moist and plump. It helps to have a bucket of cold water to dip your hands into. Sometimes the corn can get dry when grilled shucked, but watch it closely and rotate it often. It’s up to your taste buds.
Once shucked, I’ll chill the corn for a while. Use a French knife or whatever knife you are most comfortable with to cut the corn off the cob. Stand the corn on end and cut down the ear toward the cutting board.
I also use my other summertime favorite as the second ingredient: tomatoes, which are the only other food item besides corn on the cob that I eat almost exclusively in summer. There is no comparing a farm-fresh tomato to anything you can get in the store. As a matter of fact, with these two main ingredients, this salsa can easily be used as or modified a little to become a great salad. Enjoy.
Grilled Corn Salsa
6 ears corn on the cob
1 beefsteak or other tomato, small to medium diced
½ sweet or red onion, small to medium diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small jalapeno, seeded and small diced
2 T fresh cilantro, chopped
1-2 T rice vinegar
1-2 T olive oil
Lime juice, small squeeze
Salt & pepper to taste
½ roasted red pepper, small diced (optional)
Grill, shuck and cut corn from the cob and chill. Combine all the ingredients and mix thoroughly.
Smitty is a personal chef specializing in dinner parties, cooking classes and special events. Trained under Master Chef Anton Flory at Top Notch Resort in Stowe, Vt., Smitty is known for his creative use of fresh ingredients. To read archived copies of Smitty’s column, visit chefsmitty.com or TheTahoeWeekly.com. Contact him at tmmsmitty@gmail.com or (530) 412-3598.
