This roasted sweet corn salsa recipe is the perfect way to take advantage of in-season sweet corn. Charring the corn and peppers in a cast iron pan gives them a nice smoky flavor that balances out the sweetness of the corn. This salsa can be made as spicy or as mild as you like!
I recently held a poll on Instagram on if I should create a sweet corn or taco dip recipe. The winner was sweet corn, but I definitely didn’t forget about the taco dip…we’ve got a bunch of Tex Mex flavors and a little bit of spice to keep things interesting.
This sweet corn salsa is a great one to have on hand for summer get-togethers because it’s full of vegetables and is really easy to make. I don’t know about you, but after a few barbeques worth of mayo heavy picnic salads, I always crave something a little fresher. So be the friend that brings the vegan yet totally flavorful and amazing appetizer to the party!
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A CAST-IRON PAN?
If you don’t have a cast-iron pan, what the heck are you waiting for?! I love mine. That said, if you don’t have one, I would recommend using an outdoor grill to char the veggies. If you don’t have access to that either, just use a heavy-bottomed pan to char the veggies. Pans that don’t have a non-stick coating typically work better for charring.
CAN I USE FROZEN OR CANNED CORN FOR THIS CORN SALSA?
I would recommend using frozen corn (1 ½ cups) if sweet corn isn’t in season. I always prefer frozen corn over canned because the texture and freshness is so much better. You should be able to char the corn kernels in a cast iron pan, just make sure you keep an eye on them so they don’t burn.
WHAT IS A POBLANO PEPPER?
A poblano pepper is a mild pepper in the chili pepper family. Peppers are measured on a scale called the Scoville scale. A poblano pepper falls within the 1,000 range, compared to a ghost pepper that’s all the way up in the 855,000 range!
I like to use poblano peppers in salsa, but I’ve also used them to make stuffed peppers. Fun fact: if you’re familiar with ancho peppers, those are actually dried poblano peppers!
Recipe: 20 minute sweet corn salsa
Total Time: 20 minutes Yield: 2 cups
DESCRIPTION
- 2 ears of corn, husks removed (approximately 1-1½ cups of corn)
- 1 medium-sized jalapeno, seeded and chopped
- 1 poblano pepper
- ½ of a red onion (½ cup chopped)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, torn or chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 cracks black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- Tortilla chips for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Char the vegetables: Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Place the ears of corn, jalapeno, and poblano pepper in the skillet. Let the vegetables char for a minute or two, then flip. Repeat until all sides are charred. Remove skillet from heat and transfer the vegetables to a plate while you get the rest of the ingredients ready.
Prep the salsa: Chop the red onion and cilantro. Transfer to a medium bowl. Using the same cutting board, remove the corn kernels from the corn you just charred. Add the corn kernels to the bowl with the onion and cilantro.
Remove the stem from the poblano pepper, finely dice, and add to the bowl. Repeat this step with the jalapeno. Depending on how spicy you like it you can add all the seeds, half the seeds, or even just half the jalapeno. Add to the bowl.
Add the lime juice, ½ teaspoon salt, pepper, and cumin to the bowl. Toss ingredients together until everything is evenly mixed. Taste and season with additional salt if needed. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.
NOTES
You can also char your vegetables on an outdoor grill instead of in a cast iron pan if you’d like.
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: Mexican
Author: Nicole Folgate
Leave a Reply