Here is your go-to recipe for any corn-on-the-cob leftover from your 4th of July BBQ! Hey, it could happen … but maybe you should cook a couple extra ears of corn and hide them because you are going to want to make this salad! It doesn’t matter if you steam, boil, or roast those ears either; they don’t actually have to be cooked at all before you begin.
This salad contains some go-o-o-od flavors! It is built on a bed of arugula, which I love. If you haven’t had it before, don’t hesitate. It’s a small salad leaf and its flavor reminds me of the taste of a baked potato with butter and freshly ground pepper. It’s not spicy, not bitter, just interesting! It is also good in sandwiches (you’ll be seeing more of arugula here at 2create!)
Is there any raving and gushing necessary about mangoes or red onions? Just look at their awesome goodness! I’d never before put mango on the grill – plums, pineapple, yes … lots of pineapple! I always skewer anything small or numerous if it is destined for the grill. Running the skewers through the mango and onion slices made handling them on the grill so easy! I have some metal skewers, but for most things I use bamboo – they’re slimmer and they’re disposable :)
I recently decided to start mixing my salad dressings and marinades from scratch. The convenience of bottled dressings, especially when you are used to them, is hard to give up. This curry vinaigrette could not be easier! 4 dry ingredients and 2 liquid. The proportions are perfect. I might use this for other stuff as the summer goes by.
This dressing calls for curry powder, and if you know very much about curry, that could mean anything! The taste of any pre-mixed curry powder that’s dark yellow/orange would be tasty here. I had some from my bulk spice purchases labeled “Muchi Curry” whatever that means. WAIT! I’ll google it!
http://www.moscowfood.coop/archive/curry.html
Well. Apparently Muchi is considered “the hot curry” and is used a lot for fish in certain region(s) of India. I didn’t notice the heat in the Muchi curry powder in this salad dressing. Maybe because it wasn’t heated, the spiciness didn’t develop. There are others to choose from: Garam Masala which is not yellow/orange and has only a touch of black pepper, OR a non-specified, yellow/gold/orange, turmeric-containing, not-Muchi curry powder which will not have as much(i) spiciness either.
Strangely, I’ve actually been to the Moscow (ID) Food Coop, the source of that link. Moscow is next door to Pullman, WA where 5/6 of us have lived for at least 4 years each attending Washington State University! Go Cougs! (Did I mention I get sidetracked easily? :D )
Monday afternoon, I came home with a beautiful mango and a container of discount arugula needing to be used NOW (how could I let it go to waste? I had to buy it; it was only $1!) Two hours later I ran across this recipe. Guess what? I had in the frig one half a red onion, and the need to make a Tuesday afternoon snack / late lunch for the meal-time-challenged at my house: me, my husband, and my son (that would be all of us.) I knew as soon as I saw the recipe I was making it. It was meant to be, and now you can share in my tasty fate!
I changed up the proportions a bit from the original. It was a corn salad with some arugula. I made it a salad of deliciousness on a bed of arugula.
Here’s MY version: a light salad for 3, or side dish salad for … 6ish?
Corn and Mango Salad with Curry Dressing
Adapted from BHG.com
3 c. arugula leaves
1 c. – 1 ½ c. roasted corn kernels*
1 large mango
½ red onion (ideally the half with the root end, still intact)
Olive oil, about 1/3 c. total: 1 tsp. for the corn, 1 Tbsp. for grilling the onion and mango and…
3Tbsp olive oil for the dressing
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best, of course)
1 tsp. sugar
½ tsp. curry powder
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Prepare the corn if necessary – see below*
Cut the onion into 6 or 8 chunks, making sure to cut through the root in order to keep the layers hooked together. Cut, peel and slice the mango into slices around ½” thick. Place on skewers if desired. Drizzle onions and mango with the 1 Tbsp. olive oil and spread it around. Grill at medium heat, turning once to cook them and get those all-important grill marks! Takes about 3 min/side for the mangoes, and 3-5 min/side for the onions. Remove from skewers.
Meanwhile, combine the oil for the dressing with all remaining ingredients and mix well (whisk or shake.)
Toss the arugula with a generous tablespoonful of the dressing, then mound on a platter. Arrange the corn, onions, and mango on top. Drizzle with desired amount of remaining dressing; you may not use it all.
*To prepare the corn: if you have corn still on the cob, cut off all the kernels with a sharp knife. If it was previously roasted and has some brown and char marks and roasty flavor, you are all set. If it was steamed/boiled, follow the directions for raw corn; it just won’t take as long. For raw corn, toss it with about 1 tsp olive oil. Cook over med-high heat in an oiled (or non-stick sprayed) frying pan for 5-10 minutes until it is a) cooked to desired doneness and b) has some browning/charring for that nice roasted flavor that makes this salad special!
Tip: when corn on the cob is at its cheapest later this summer, cook and roast a few ears. Cut off the kernels and bag them for the freezer in 1 c. quantities. You’ll be ready for those Roasted Corn Chowder recipes and such during the dreary days of winter!
So, what do you think? This salad would be terrific with shrimp or salmon, chicken… whatever catches your tastebuds’ fancy. I hope you make and enjoy it as much as we did!
Gail
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