This roasted corn salad summer salad screams yummy! It is super easy to make, full of flavor, bold colors, and a perfect side dish or meal on its own. If you are trying to eat healthy this one is right up your alley as well. Come on, what more could you want? Healthy and yummy for the win! 

It is a perfect summer salad to enjoy at home or on a picnic, barbeque you name it. It also holds ups really well in the fridge for a couple of days. You can make it ahead or the day of and it will hold its flavors and color perfectly. 

Another thing that this roasted corn summer salad brings is versatility and a ton of it. There are different ways of preparing this salad with each variation having its own unique flavor and zing to it. When it comes to a foolproof recipe I would say this one would probably be one of those in my book. 

I am going to share 3 different variations of this salad with you that are all just as easy to prepare. Each variation of this salad starts off with the same basic ingredients the only difference is we may add one or two more ingredients or omit one or two. 

The main ingredients for this roasted corn summer salad recipe are:

1. corn
2. cherry tomatoes
3. red onion
4. Cilantro

Add on’s:

1. black beans 
2. avocado
3. cilantro
4. Munster cheese
5. Jalapenos 

Dressing:

The dressing is super simple as well. 

1. 1/4 cup lime juice (if you don’t have limes, lemons work just as great)

2. 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3. 1 tablespoon honey 

4. 1 teaspoon paprika

5. 3/4 teaspoon salt 

6. 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 

7. 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 

Instructions: 

1. If you are using a grill preheat the grill to about 400 degrees F or high and heat for 10 minutes. While the grill is preheating rub the corn with a bit of olive oil just enough to give it a light coat.
2. Add corn and cook, turning often, until charred all over, about 10 minutes.  
3. After you have let the corn cool a bit cut the kernels from the cob and place the cut kernels in a large bowl. 
4. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and dice the red onion into small pieces. 
5. Add the cherry tomatoes and red onion to the corn kernels. 
6. Toss in the dressing and enjoy.

Alternative options that make this a wow recipe! 

Variation #2 

1. Add the base from the recipe above. ( cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn and cilantro, and dressing.
2. I like to throw in about a good handful of chopped cilantro.
3. Next, add in a medium-size jalapeno diced finely. Note: cut the jalapeno in half and take the seeds out. 
4. Toss all the ingredients together and voila! 

Variation #3

Super simple we are building from the second variation. Once you have the second variation whipped up follow these steps:

1. Add in a can of black beans drained and rinsed. You will want to pat dry the beans and add them to the bowl with the other ingredients. 
2. Cut up 1 cup of 1/4 inch cubs of Munster cheese and add to bowl.  
3. Next, dice a medium avocado into about 1/4 inch cubes and Gently TOSS into the salad. 

The key word is gentle, you do not want to mash up the avocado. You want to have nice big chunks. 

Note: I like to serve this salad with some corn chips when I am not serving it as a side salad. It is great as an appetizer anytime. 

Also, if you do not have fresh corn on hand no worries canned corn does the job just as well.

If you do use canned corn drain it pat it dry and use it in place of the fresh corn. 

A little trick I like to use if I am using canned corn is to once it is drained and dry put it in a frying pan and roast it a bit so that the kernels get a little roasted. 

Just enough to give it that nice roasted look as if we grilled it. This is super quick and takes less than 10 min and looks like you went that extra mile to grill it yet you didn’t. 

Speaking of grilling, a great question I often get asked is Husk on or Husk off?

Gilling with the husk on will help keep some of the moisture this will give you a half-steamed, half-grilled cooking process. 

If you do use this method first peel back the husk to expose the corn without detaching them completely and remove as much of the silk as you can. No one likes the silk stuck in their teeth haha! 

Season the corn with salt and pepper, plus a bit of butter or olive oil, then pull the husks back over the corn and plop them on the grill. 

By pulling the husk back over the corn you are protecting the corn kernels from the hot grill and helping them steam a bit while they’re grilling, making them even more tender. 

Now if you choose to grill the corn without the husk on completely shuck the corn before placing it on the grill. After shucking the corn add it to the hot grill. 

Once the corn is completely cooked either rub butter evenly on the corn or olive oil to give it a light coat. Season it with salt and pepper and it is ready to chow down on. This method is the fastest if you are wanting to enjoy it in less time. 

I am a huge fan of cooking once and eating twice. My fancy way of using leftovers where it doesn’t feel like you are eating leftovers. With this recipe what I do is since this salad holds up really well for a couple of days I will use it again the next day or the 3rd day as a complete meal by adding in some grilled shrimp. 

If I know that this is going to be the plan then I make some extra salad and set it aside leaving out the dressing till later. I don’t want the dressing making this salad mushy if I plan on using it in a couple of days. On that same note do not add in the avocado (if you choose to make this salad with avocado) till the day you are going to eat it.

An avocado that is already cut up does not tend to hold its color up well for a long period, turning into not-so-pretty brown color. 

When you are ready to eat toss in the ingredients you wish with dressing, add your shrimp, and enjoy! 

Happing eating friend! 

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