Grilled Corn and BC Peach Salsa

Now that the garden's gone crazy I'm trying to use all the great stuff that keeps on growing in it. That and all the great produce I can't seem to keep myself from buying at the farmer's market and the various roadside stands dotted about the city. I managed to come up with this great fresh, tangy and slightly spicy salsa that I served with roast bison the other night and which was heavenly. We ate it more like a salad than a salsa and it was terrific. If you want a more complex, smoky taste you could grill the whole cobs of corn on the barbecue before shaving them off the cobs into the salad bowl. I cheated a bit however, as I find the kernels are easier to get off undamaged if you cut them from the cobs while raw and then cook them. So that is what I did. Try to choose nice firm peaches that have just barely gotten ripe. You want them to be sweet, but not too sweet, and slightly tangy for best effect. This recipe uses all sorts of great stuff that's in season now so it really is the epitome of fresh.

• 4 cobs of fresh corn
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 large barely ripe peaches, chopped into smallish pieces
• 3 medium fresh fleshy tomato, chopped
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh lemon basil, chopped
• 2 jalapenos or other similar small fresh spicy pepper, chopped
• 1 medium red onion roughly chopped
• juice of 2 lemons
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh black pepper

Stand each peeled cob on end on a cutting board and use a small paring knife to slice the kernels from each cob. Get as close to the core as you can. Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed frying pan. Cook the corn in pan over high heat until it turns a darker shade of yellow and the kernels start to get nice and browned. Sprinkle ground cumin over corn in pan. Continue to stir and cook for a minute or so more. Remove corn from heat and set aside to cool.

Combine the cooled corn with the remaining ingredients and refrigerate, covered for 2 or 3 hours, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavours to blend. This can be made in advance and keeps well in the fridge for several days. It's a great side to barbecued (or grilled) meats.

Comments

[Ellie]

Looks delicious - and what a fantastic picture of the corn cob!

[Dianka]

Wow, this looks fabulous! I'll have to try this one =)

[Gourmet]

Great Pic!!! :-)And delicious recipe..

[Brilynn]

Your corn salad looks great! I do a variation on it- grill the corn in the husks with lime and olive oil, then when it's done remove the kernals from the cob and mix with lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, sweet potato, garlic, sweet onion and cherry tomatoes.

[Esther]

Salsa-fied to perfection with all the ingredients in place.

There can be no doubt about variations added to it. What you can do to increase the heat is use red chili or jalapeno paste as you fry the corn cobs in oil.

Grilling corn with lemon juice will definitely enhance flavors before it is added to the pan. The use of freshly roasted and grounded cumin brings out the most from the spice.

Adding pickled red onions instead of just onions can greatly affect the pungency of salsa.

[Erielle]

Wow! I love corn in salsas or salads. I will definitely be trying this soon.
The other day I had some fresh corn and I made creamed corn with bacon and blue cheese, and while it was one of my new favorite dishes of the summer, it wasn't quite as refreshing as I imagine your creation to be. So thanks for a new recipe that I will probably make it into one of my new favorite dishes of the summer!

[Bradley @ Sauces and Stuff]

Anything with corn in it is a huge hit in my book. So easy to make and adds great flavor and texture to any dish. If we have left over vegetables from grilling I will shave the corn into a bowl, add the veggies and a little bit of salt, pepper, olive oil, basil and parsley to make a quick roasted veggie salsa.

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