I love cooking no matter the season but summer is the season where most of us do not want to be in the kitchen for hours upon hours. It’s just too hot for all of that. I love using seasonal ingredients and I’m trying to get better at it even though I’m still learning. Corn has always been one of my favorite vegetables. I remember when I was a kid, I would love when my parents would prepare corn. On the cob, off the cob – doesn’t matter. Corn as a salsa is even better, in my opinion, and this spicy corn salsa is just what the summer ordered.
Salsa can be made with anything. Have you ever tried to experiment with making salsa? It’s really fun. You can try a mixture of veggies and fruits like tomatoes or strawberries (yes, strawberry salsa). Make it spicy or tangy and use tortilla chips or pita chips for dipping. I’ve been known to even use potato chips for salsa. Desperate times call for desperate measures, people.
I believe I’ve shared my disdain for tomatoes here before so there are no tomatoes in this salsa but tomatoes or even red bell peppers would make a decent addition – not to mention, it will add a little color too.
Summer recipes: spicy corn salsa
I found myself snacking endlessly on this salsa with handfuls of tortilla chips at a time. But I can also see this simple summer salsa on fish (like salmon or trout). Now, we don’t have a grill and I’m sad about it – so is John. If you’re lucky enough to have a grill, you can take a few cobs of corn and place them on a grill to char them a bit. If you’re like me and sadly without a grill, you can remove kernels from corn on the cob and char them in a skillet on a stove top.
Not exactly the same as the grill but it gets the point across.
Please make this spicy corn salsa. It’s really fresh, light and flavorful.
Spicy Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 1 poblano pepper
- Olive oil
- Corn (from 4-5 cobs)
- 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Turn your oven's broiler on and remove the corn from the cob.
- Brush the poblano pepper with olive oil then place it in the oven.
- Meanwhile, heat a teaspoon or so of oil in a skillet. Once hot, add the corn kernels and char. Make sure the corn is in one layer and don't overcrowd the pan. If you need to work in batches, do it.
- At the same time, keep an eye out on the poblano pepper. You want to char it a bit but don't burn it to a crisp. Once it's charred to your liking, remove from the oven.
- When the corn is done, transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
- Once cooled, cut the poblano pepper into small chunks, and add to the bowl with the corn.
- Add the jalapeño, onion, chives and lime juice. Mix and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste, serve with tortilla chips.
