Grilled Corn Salad with Tomato Vinaigrette
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Two things are going on with this grilled corn salad recipe.
One is the corn, of course—grilled corn. Many people have many thoughts about the best way to grill corn, which is confusing, because there is only way to do it: In the husk, on the grill. You don’t need to soak or partially husk. You don’t need to worry about the silks and you don’t have to compromise charring if you keep the husks on. You put the corn directly on the grates over direct heat. About 14 minutes later, after rolling them around every now and then, you’ll have very charred husks that unfurl to reveal plump, hot, juicy corn kernels that are browned in some spots. The husk and silks slip off easier than a pair of Skims when the party is over. Perfection.
Indoor cooks or any other non-grillers, follow the exact same steps in your largest cast iron skillet set over high heat. Open the windows and turn on the fan, and you’ll arrive at the same place in the same amount of time.
This is a great technique to know and use for the rest of your life. You can roll the ears in some salted butter and call it a day, or make elotes, or stud your favorite cornbread or biscuit with the kernels, or fold them into risotto or grits. Or just bring them, in their husks, to the beach. Options, people!
The other element of this salad is the tomato-soy dressing, which I first made many summers ago at our special little rental house in Montauk, dubbed Billsville in honor of the owner, Bill. The time I spent at that house during many July and August vacations over the years cemented a lot of the cooking and shopping philosophy I laid out in Where Cooking Begins. Every memory I have of cooking in that little, minimally-equipped but absolutely perfect galley kitchen is extremely special to me, and even though I can remember about six things from cooking school, I can remember dozens and dozens of days spent there with my family.
The fridge wasn’t huge there, so we shopped smaller, more frequently, and the produce was so peak that I didn’t have to do much to make anything taste good. I’ve nurtured a very clear memory of throwing tomatoes, soy sauce, and lemon juice into the blender and making a dressing for a grain salad one day. I’ve been tweaking the “recipe” ever since.
For this official iteration, I added some miso to ground the bright acidic notes of the tomatoes and lemon juice, and a little sesame oil to smooth out the flavors and connect to the toasted sesame seeds in the salad itself. This dressing makes more than you’ll need for the salad; it keeps really well and I keep thinking about drinking it like gazpacho or messing around with it as a potential Bloody Mary mix. It’s also a great way to use up half-eaten, bruised or bursting tomatoes.
Speaking of leftovers … the corn salad is a great dip for chips. Chips make great nachos. Nachos are great with salsa. The salad is sorta like salsa. These little marbles went rolling about in my head until I made nachos for one with this salad and some cilantro sprigs as a topping, and I truly implore you to do the same.
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