Fresh corn is one of the highlights of summer. When it’s in season it’s sweet, juicy, and super affordable, so I love to take advantage! For this salad I paired fresh sweet corn with another summer staple, zucchini, and charred them both over high heat to bring a smoky grill-like flavor. This Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad is so simple and delicious, and perfectly captures the beauty of fresh summer produce. I know this is going to become my new go-to summer side dish. ☀️😎
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Cooking Methods
I used a super hot 10″ cast iron skillet to char my vegetables for this salad, but you actually have a couple of options. If you have an outdoor grill and love cooking outside, you can char your vegetables over an open flame. A grill pan on your stove top will also work.
OR, if you live near a Trader Joe’s store, they have sell frozen corn that is already “fire roasted” with that nice smoky flavor, which makes for a nice short cut. You can then do the zucchini and onion in a hot pan like I did, or even roast them in the oven until caramelized on the edges.
No Dressing??
I had actually planned to make a chipotle ranch to go with this salad, but when I tasted the salad pre-dressing I thought it was absolutely perfect as-is and adding the dressing would mask the beautifully fresh flavors of the in-season vegetables, so I left it off. The little pops of saltiness from the feta and the sweet juices from the vegetables provided all the flavor I needed.
If you’re still interested in doing a chipotle ranch, I basically just made my Homemade Ranch Dressing without the parsley and with a 1/2 tsp chipotle powder added. Lime Crema would also be really good dressing for this Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad.
How to Serve Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad
As mentioned above, I think this is like, the perfect side dish for summer. It would go great with Cilantro Lime Chicken, grilled chicken slathered with Homemade BBQ Sauce, Blackened Shrimp Tacos, Fish Tacos, Chipotle Lime Chicken and Rice, or Green Chile Turkey Burgers. Or, make it part of a vegetarian platter with some Quick Seasoned Black Beans and rice, like I did in the photos below.
In addition to being served as a side dish, salads like this also work great as a taco filling or topper! You could even spoon it onto a pile of nachos!
Charred Corn and Zucchini Salad
Servings 4 about 3/4 cup eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp high heat oil* ($0.47)
- 3 ears fresh sweet corn ($1.20)
- 2 zucchini ($1.13)
- 1/2 red onion ($0.22)
- 2 pinches salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro** ($0.10)
- 2 oz. feta ($0.75)
Instructions
- Remove the husks and silk from the corn cobs, and cut the stems off. Brush the surface of the corn with oil.
- Heat a cast iron skillet or gill pan over medium heat for at least five minutes, giving it plenty of time to build up a lot of heat. Once very hot, add the corn cobs. Allow the corn to cook, turning occasionally, until the kernels have become bright in color and some have developed deep char marks. This should take about 15 minutes total.
- While the corn is cooking, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and the red onion into thick rings. Brush all sides of the zucchini and onion with oil.
- When the corn is finished cooking, remove it to a cutting board to cool slightly, and add the zucchini in its place. Cook the zucchini on each side until well charred (about 10 minutes total), then remove to the cutting board. Lastly, cook the onion slices until charred on each side (about 5 minutes total).
- Slice or chop the zucchini into half-rounds or quarter-rounds. Chop the onion into small pieces. Roughly chop about 1/4 cup of cilantro. Place the zucchini, onion, and cilantro in a large bow.
- Stand the corn cobs on end and use a sharp knife to carefully slice down each side to remove the kernels. Place the kernels in the bowl with the zucchini, onion, and cilantro.
- Season the vegetables with a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper, then toss to combine. Finally, crumble the feta over top and gently toss one more time to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. This salad can be served slightly warm or cold.
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Equipment
- Cast Iron Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!And if you love summer salads, then you’ve got to try our Creamy Cucumber Salad! It’s cool, refreshing, and perfect during the warm summer months! :)
How to Make Corn and Zucchini Salad – Step by Step Photos
Remove the husks and silk from three ears of corn. Cut the stems off as well, to make it easier to stand them on end when slicing the kernels off later. Brush the surface of the corn cobs with high heat cooking oil (I’m using avocado oil).
Heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Give it at least five minutes to really build up some heat before adding the corn. Once really hot, add the corn and let them cook, turning occasionally, until the kernels brighten in color and some develop a nice char (about 15 minutes). You’ll notice that the raw corn has kind of a cloudy, pastel color, but as the kernels cook they turn bright in color and almost slightly translucent. Once cooked, remove them to a cutting board to cool slightly.
While the corn is cooking, slice two zucchini in half length-wise and brush each side with oil.
Also slice 1/2 of a red onion into rings and brush with oil (I already had half an onion in my fridge that had been cut lengthwise, otherwise I would have cut them into full rings instead of half-moons).
When the corn is finished cooking and removed from the pan, do the same with the zucchini (about 10 minutes total) and then the red onion (about 5 minutes total). The goal is to char the outside, but not completely over cook the vegetables so they are limp and lifeless.
Slice the zucchini into half-rounds or quarter rounds, dice the red onion, and chop about 1/4 cup cilantro. Stand the corn cobs up on their end and use a sharp knife to carefully slice down each side to cut the kernels off. Add the corn, zucchini, red onion, and cilantro to a large bowl. Season with a couple large pinches of salt and pepper, then toss to combine.
Finally, crumble about 2 oz. feta onto the salad and gently toss once more.
The salad can be served immediately (warm) or chilled for later!
Makes a great vegetarian meal prep or burrito bowl with black beans and rice!
I put it all to roast at 400° ~20 min.
This is SO delicious! The feta is amazing.
I have had it warm–yummy. Cold–refreshing.
I might have to make this 60 more times before summer ends.
Delicious! I used frozen corn and had cut up everything prior to grilling, using a grill basket to hold everything. I am definitely looking forward to making this again.
Made this tonight. It was perfection. Glad I didn’t have to use a grill because the place we’re staying at doesn’t have one. I will definitely make this again!!!
Great recipe! I used what I had on hand so subbed with canned corn and vidalia onion. It turned out great! To make it easier I put corn, chopped zucchini and onions all in one cast iron pan together and cooked until all were slightly blackened.
This is a great salad! I love how you broke down the steps. I did char the corn after cutting from the cob so if anyone tries it that way- it works. I sprinkled a little red pepper flakes and also added some chopped sweet chili pepper.
What cheese would you sub in if you can’t eat feta?
Probably cotija since it has a similarly salty bite to it. :)
About how much frozen corn would you use to sub for the fresh?
2-3 cups should do it. :)
So good and versatile! I threw in some mushrooms that we needed to use up. Also, we cooked everything on the grill. Served it as a side along with the Seasoned Rice recipe and Blackened Salmon recipe. Today I only had the rice and veggies leftover so I made a quick bowl with the two mixed together for a fast, healthy lunch.
I made this tonight and it was amazing. I left out the onions and added garlic black beans. Deeeee-lish…..try it. You’ll love it!
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious! Definitely adding to our favourites x
I don’t have fresh corn on hand. Do you think I could sub drained, canned corn?
Can you remove the corn from the cob before charting like you would to make fried corn?
Yes you could.
You can definitely try that! I haven’t tested that method, to know for sure, but it sounds like it could work. :) My only concern is that it would dry out a bit because the moisture in the corn can escape the cut end and evaporate. It kind of all gets held in when it’s still on the cob.
I’ve made this recipe twice and I just love it! The second time I made it, I added some red pepper and cooked it along with the zucchini and red onion. This is delicious on its own or with rice and black beans as a meal. I also used the end of the leftovers in quesadillas, just threw the mixture into tortillas with some shredded monterey jack. Yum!
This was tasty, healthy, and easy! We grilled the veggies, but made it as printed otherwise.
I feel so lucky to have come across your website! It’s been my go-to for recipes the last 6 months. I’m a vegetarian, and it’s been an amazing resource for varied, healthy, consistently delicious food! Thank you!
Long time reader, first time commenter here too| My mom and I really enjoyed this salad, however you lose the awesomeness of the grilled zucchinis after two days in the fridge (a lot of water at the bottom of the leftover pot from the zucchinis) . So be sure to enjoy it as soon as you cook it!
I wonder if this could be avoided by dividing the salad up into smaller containers once it’s finished? There would probably be some liquid on the bottom still, but not as much.
So a trick I’ve found with zucchini is to get some water out before I cook it. I slice/dice it, then put it in a colander with a little bit of salt, toss it and let it sit for about 30 minutes. The salt releases some of the water, then I just pat it dry before I use it in the recipe. I saw that trick in a blog (maybe this one???) and have done it with almost every zucchini/squash recipe since, it really helps!
Thank you for such a simple but very flavorful dish! I followed the recipe exactly, just adding a bit of Tony Chachere’s because I’m a New Orleanian to the corn. My super picky eater hubby really liked and getting him to try new things is not the easiest. Thank you again for keeping my sanity!
Super yummy. We cooked the veggies on the charcoal grill prior to putting the burgers on. We cut the cook times by about half. We also wrapped the corn so it was charred but not burned to a crisp. We’re definitely adding this to the list of easy dishes for the cookout.
Super easy and delicious. I am normally someone who loves extra sauce / dressings. This does not need it, it is absolutely perfect! Perfect combination, and a great way to cook zucchini. I served this with mahi mahi and it was a great combo! Thanks for another fantastic recipe, this one is a keeper for sure! Would be great for a pot luck and easy for groups.
What kind of adjustments would you make if you wanted to grill this recipe?
I wouldn’t make any adjustments. Just make sure to not cut the zucchini and onion into pieces that are so small that they fall through the grating on the grill.
Hi there,
I tried this at home yesterday and this turned out to so delicious.
This changed my perception of not having salads normally.
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I would like to see some more recipe related to salads and will share with others. keep sharing 🙂
Long time reader, first time commenter here. This salad is absolutely delicious, and as an added bonus, you can repurpose leftovers to make an amazing frittata with zero additional prep work. I used 7 eggs, a splash of milk, about a cup of leftover corn & zucchini salad and a few extra tablespoons of crumbled feta. Yum!
Fantastic idea!!
I would love to try this but have neither a heavy cast-iron-like skillet or a grill pan. Could I roast the corn and zucchini in the oven instead?
Yes, although you may not get quite as much of a “char” but it will still be fantastic.
Ooh, perfect, thank you for responding!
Made this with no feta as my family doesn’t care for feta, but then they didn’t eat much of it so next time it gets feta. No dressing just a squeeze of lime juice. Used part of the leftovers along with some left over meatloaf and a good instant rice noodle soup bowl to make a tasty soup for lunch. Love the site!
Made this over the weekend. omg. it was a HUGE hit! only change i made (because I already had it in the fridge), was goat instead of feta cheese.
super wonderful and yummy!
Nutritional info? Please….
Can you just do the charring on the barbecue? At this time of year we don’t like to heat up the kitchen and make most of our meals outside.
Yep!
I dont know how to grill but I did buy one of of those Lodge cast iron flat squares that has raised grill marks that you can sit over your gas burner and char things that way, and that works perfectly for stuff like this. Great recipe!!
Made this tonight and cooked everything on the grill. I ended up burning the ears of corn so had to cook some frozen corn up in a pan which did the trick. This was so delicious! Paired with the cilantro lime chicken as suggested. This will be a staple for the rest of summer and longer :-P
YUM
This is the first cold salad I’ve ever actually liked! Definitely making it again
We had everything for this already except for cilantro (so subbed parsley, which was merely ok) — it was delicious! I had a bit of trouble charring the corn, so wound up cutting it off the cob and cooking the kernels in the pan undisturbed for a while to get the char on those.
Thanks for the inspiration! We made it tonight, delicious and fresh with some extra lemon juice and cherry tomatoes.
This is the first cold salad I’ve ever actually liked! Definitely making it again
How long do you think this would stay good? I think it looks good for a meal prep lunch for work.
Probably about 4-5 days. :)
I just happened to grill corn, zucchini, onions, and red bell peppers–with our salmon last night as part of a complete supper on the gas grill–so had leftovers enough for a half recipe of this salad. This low fat recipe really hit the lunch time spot! Unfortunately I used all the fish for salmon burgers, as that would also have been nice in the salad. I did add the grilled red bell pepper for a bit of extra color–and taste. I wished I had grilled some poblano pepper, too–next time!
I often do throw on extra veggies when using the gas grill–not only are they good for dinner, but make terrific leftovers not to mention cost effective and efficient use of the grill
Thanks, Beth, not only for this recipe but the loads of great ideas you’ve posted over the past several weeks.
Dang this looks good! I have some leftover roasted corn from July 4th. I imagine I can just thaw and heat up since it’s already got char marks from the grill. :)
Very tasty and summery! I added the juice of a lime in for some zing at the end, which went very nicely. And I tossed in a can of black beans to bulk it up so it would be a lunch on its own.
This looks delicious. I’ve been doing a saute with these ingredients, minus the feta, for years as they are harvested from my garden at the same time. Was thinking maybe a squeeze of lime and dribble of olive oil for a dressing.