Recipes › Sweetcorn › Grilled Sweetcorn Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Manchego
Grilled Sweetcorn Salad with Roasted Red Pepper and Manchego
This is a bold, sunshine salad that earns its keep as a main course in warm weather or as a substantial side through September. Sweetcorn cobs are grilled until charred and nutty, then the kernels are tossed with smoky roasted peppers, thin shards of Manchego, toasted flaked almonds and a punchy sherry vinegar dressing. It is the kind of salad you actually want to eat.
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Ingredients
- 4 sweetcorn cobs, huskedor 500g frozen sweetcorn, defrosted and dry-fried in a very hot pan
- 200 g roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and torn into stripsor roast 2 fresh red peppers yourself under the grill
- 80 Manchego cheese, shaved into thin shards with a vegetable peeleror Pecorino, which is sharper and saltier
- 40 g flaked almonds
- 20 g flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly torn
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp sherry vinegaror red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp clear honeyor agave syrup to keep it vegetarian-friendly
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper
Contains: milk, mustard, nuts, sulphites.
Method
- Heat a griddle pan over the highest heat until it is smoking — this takes about 3 minutes. Meanwhile, rub the sweetcorn cobs lightly with a little olive oil and season with salt.About 3 min
- Place the cobs on the hot griddle and cook for 10 to 12 minutes total, turning a quarter turn every 2 to 3 minutes, until you have char marks on all sides and the kernels are golden and slightly blistered. Set aside to cool enough to handle.About 12 min
- While the corn cools, toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden. Tip immediately onto a plate — they burn quickly once they start to colour.About 3 min
- Make the dressing by whisking together the extra virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, smoked paprika and honey in a small bowl. Season well with salt and black pepper.About 2 min
- Stand each corn cob upright and cut downward to strip the kernels into a large mixing bowl. Add the roasted red pepper strips and parsley and toss with three-quarters of the dressing.About 3 min
- Transfer to a serving platter or individual plates. Scatter over the Manchego shards and toasted almonds. Drizzle the remaining dressing over the top and serve immediately.
Tips
- The griddle pan must be genuinely hot before the corn goes on — if it is not smoking you will steam the corn rather than char it and you will lose the whole point of the dish.
- Do not dress the salad more than 10 minutes before serving, or the corn will start to steam in the dressing and lose its texture.
- Manchego varies a lot in age and saltiness. Taste your cheese before adding any extra salt to the salad.
Ring the changes
- Add a 400g tin of drained and rinsed butter beans to make this a more substantial main course salad.
- Swap the Manchego for crumbled goat's cheese and the sherry vinegar for lemon juice for a lighter, fresher version.
Keeping it
Best assembled and eaten immediately. The dressed salad can be kept in the fridge for up to 1 day but the texture will soften. Store undressed components separately for better results: the stripped charred corn keeps in the fridge for 2 days.
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