I have a few side dishes to share showcasing sweet summer corn. The romaine lettuce base and generous sliced avocado and grilled corn topping made this a must try summer salad. I love salads with loads of toppings.
My entire family loves creamy blue cheese dressing (who doesn’t?), so I knew that a creamy feta dressing loaded with fresh herbs would be the icing on the cake.
This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sue Li. I only used half of the prepared dressing in the finished salad.
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
- 6 ears corn (about 3 pounds), shucked and silk removed
- 1 bunch scallions (about 6), trimmed
- 1 jalapeño
- 3 T olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/3 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
- 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1/4 cup sliced fresh chives
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
- 2 avocados, sliced
- Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high.
- Brush corn, scallions and jalapeño with the oil and season with salt and pepper. (I didn’t oil the corn.)
- Arrange on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until corn kernels are browned in spots and the scallions and jalapeño are charred all over and tender, about 10 minutes, a little longer for the corn.
- Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
- When cool, remove charred jalapeño skin. Then remove the stem and seeds. Finely chop.
- In a medium bowl, using a whisk, mash the feta into a coarse paste. Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest and juice and garlic, then stir in chives, parsley, and charred jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, toss lettuce with half the feta dressing and arrange on a platter or salad bowl.
- Cut corn kernels off the cob and slice scallions into bite-size pieces.
- Arrange avocado slices, corn and scallions on top of the lettuce. Serve with remaining dressing or add additional dressing, as desired. (I reserved 1/2 the dressing for another use.)
thebrookcook 