Aah, summer! Cookouts, mosquitoes, s’mores, beach towels, and leftover corn on the cob. That leftover corn — it is never as good reheated as that first day it was cooked, is it?
There are a lot of things you can do with leftover corn on the cob besides compare it (as second-best) to its former self. Here is my latest, and my most favorite ever, use of leftover ears of corn.
Let’s get started by saying that Sam’s in-laws are among the warmest, most generous, kind and fun people we know. We’ve spent a few of the last few Independence Day celebrations with them at this place with the restful view and welcoming crowds.
This year, we came home with a few leftovers including 3 ears of leftover corn. Our cooler was actually full of delicious surprises when we got home! ;) We are grateful!
I decided to get creative with this corn instead of worrying about it getting forgotten or lost in the frig. Having just visited my local produce stand, I had lots of wonderful local veggies to choose from. I kept it simple with just 3 main ingredients: corn, tomatoes, and cilantro.
Recipe below, but here’s how simple it is…
First, remove previously cooked corn from the cob. Be sure to scrape out all the kernelly goodness with the back side of your knife. YUM!
Season it up, then broil it to get a roasty toasty flavor going on, and to bloom the spices. YUM!
Meanwhile, chop tomatoes and cilantro. Another YUM!
Season with white wine vinegar or your choice of acidic ingredient like lime juice, lemon, or other vinegars. I would have used white balsmamic if I’d actually had some. I keep running out. I wonder how that happens?
Combine the corn with the tomatoes and adjust the flavor. Serve room temp or chilled, immediately or later.
So simple! So delicious! Can we have a final yum? We can! YUM!
There are so many ways you could change up this salad by adding to it. Avocados, black beans, rice or other grains (remember this post!), peppers either sweet or spicy, any variety of onion, and the list goes on.
[Edited in: EEEK! Sorry, I forgot to put garlic powder in the ingredients! It is fixed below.]
Tomato and Corn Summer Salad
(especially for leftover corn on the cob)
For EACH ear of cooked corn you have left over, use the amounts below. Scale up for each ear you actually use.
1 ear of cooked corn on the cob (1/2 to 1 cup of kernels)
2 medium or large Roma tomatoes or other tomatoes of your choice (1 to 1.5 cups)
1/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar or white balsamic.
Make a mixture of:
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (or 1/8 tsp for milder heat)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. garlic powder [edited in 7/12/13]
1 tsp. fine-grained salt
a few grinds of black pepper
(This should be enough for 4-6 ears of corn 7″-8″ long*)
Using sharp knife, remove corn from the cob. Use the back side of the knife to scrape out the remaining corn-y goodness from the cob. Break up long sections of kernels but leave bite-sized sections connected.
Place on a foil lined baking sheet; preheat broiler. Drizzle a bit of oil over corn, then generously sprinkle with seasoning mixture. Toss to distribute, add more if desired.
Spread seasoned corn out into single layer. Broil 4″ from heat until some browning occurs (and maybe a few bits of black — it’s OK) about 3 or 4 minutes. Remove from oven, stir, spread it out, and broil again until more browning occurs, 2 or 3 minutes or until desired toastiness. Watch carefully and use a timer! (Note: this roasting could also be done in a frying pan)
Meanwhile, chop tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Coarsely chop cilantro leaves. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle well with vinegar, 1 Tbsp or more. Stir and set aside.
When corn is done, let it cool for a few minutes. Combine with the tomatoes. Adjust seasoning: salt, spiciness, vinegar.
Chill to serve later, or serve immediately.
Keeps for 2 days or so. The tomatoes will keep getting softer due to the vinegar.
* Spicy Cumin Salt: Add extra salt to any leftover spice mixture and use it on tomato omelettes! or avocados! or whatever you can think of!
I think my avocado-addicted son will use up the leftover seasoning quickly, although he claims, “It will be a whole different avocado experience.” LOL This guy takes his avocados pretty darn seriously!
As a side note, I wasn’t creating this salad with the blog in mind so I didn’t take pictures when I first made it. I made another batch just for you! That meant I needed at least one cooked ear of corn. I tried the technique I’ve seen on Pinterest where you microwave the corn in the husks after cutting off the stem end. It works wonderfully! There was not one millimeter of cornsilk attached. Pretty amazing, actually :D
I like to sprinkle Lemon-Pepper seasoning on my freshly cooked corn on the cob. How do you like yours? Just remember my Tomato & Corn Summer Salad the next time you have leftovers!
Gail
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