Blistered Shishito & Corn Salad
This blistered shishito and corn salad will quickly become your end of summer go-to salad. It’s easy to make and will surly be a hit at any neighborhood potluck or social gathering. My only regret after making this when our neighbors came over for dinner this past weekend was not doubling the recipe! It was gone fast!
If you’re not familiar with shishito peppers, they’re a mild East Asian pepper variety. Though rumor has it that one in every ten peppers can have a bit of spice! But not to worry, these are typically a very easy to prepare, eat, and enjoyed pepper that even young kids will like.
This salad has everything that I love about summer going for it. Fresh sweet corn that is so stinking good that it doesn’t even get cooked! Blistered shishito peppers that bring out a nice deep flavor and crunchy texture and the best cumin-lime dressing that is so good you could probably drink it. Oh yeah, and plenty of shredded Cotija cheese.
Happy salad eating everyone!
Blistered Shishito & Corn Salad
Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Serves: 4 as a side
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 3 cups of fresh corn kernels, from about 5 ears of corn
- 6 ounces shishito peppers, stemmed and cut crosswise into 1/4 inch rounds (you can leave in the seeds they're fine!)
- 1/4 cup grated Cotija or crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Preparation
- In a small bowl, whisk together 3 Tablespoons of the olive oil, the lime juice, honey, cumin, pepper flakes, salt, onion, and garlic. Whisk until the honey is dissolved and give it a taste with your finger adding a touch more salt if needed. The flavors will meld together the longer it sits.
- Add the corn to a large bowl and set aside. In a medium-size cast iron pan heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the shishito peppers and a fat pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally until the peppers brown up and sightly blister in spots, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the peppers to the bowl with the corn. Drizzle in the dressing and toss well. Add the cheese and cilantro.
Notes
This salad is best served the day it's made but in the off-chance that there's any leftovers it can be enjoyed up to one day afterwards. Fresh sweet corn has a short shelf life before the sugars convert to starches and it becomes tough.