I think Labor Day weekend cooking should be easy. It’s the last real weekend of summer and who wants to spend it in the kitchen? If you’re entertaining this weekend, keep it simple – tomato salads, easing grilling, and snacks and appetizers to munch on all weekend long.
I’ve been making this Fresh Corn Salsa all summer, and it feels especially perfect for this long, lazy weekend. It’s a step up from jarred salsa, but comes together really quickly and uses fresh summer corn, peppers and tomatoes. It’s got the perfect blend of salty, crunchy, and limey goodness and goes dangerously well with a cold beer or margarita.
If you’re having friends or family over this weekend, this is a really easy appetizer you can put together the night before, or just before everyone arrives. Either way, it’s fast, it’s delicious, and you’ll probably want to make a double batch.
Plus, this salsa is incredibly versatile. While it’s the perfect excuse to kill a whole bag of corn chips, I also love it on top of simple grilled fish, shrimp or steak. OR, try it on grilled fish tacos, if you’re into that sort of thing. 😉
A quick note on spiciness. I am very often accused of being a baby when it comes to spicy foods, and I blame my taste buds. Case in point, I think this salsa has a little kick, but some of my frequent recipe tasters (aka friends) do not. If you like your salsa to have more of a kick, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the bowl. And no matter how you like your salsa, I think you’ll find yourself coming back to this one every summer.
Enjoy the long weekend! And remember that summer isn’t officially over until Sept 22!!
Fresh Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (2 to 3 limes)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup minced red onion
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Kernels cut from 3 large ears of corn
- 1 large firm-ripe red tomato
- 1 (medium to large) poblano pepper, seeds and ribs removed, 1/4-inch diced
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, garlic, onion, salt, cumin and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the corn kernels and toss.
- Cut the tomato in half through the stem and use a spoon to remove the seeds. Dice the tomato into ¼-inch pieces and add to the bowl.
- In a medium (10-inch) sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the poblano and jalapeno and cook for 4 to 6 minutes, until the poblanos are tender. Immediately add the peppers to the salsa and toss well.
- Let the salsa sit at room temperature for at least thirty minutes (or in the refrigerator overnight) before serving, to allow the flavors to meld. Transfer to a serving bowl, using a slotted spoon to leave behind excess liquid if desired, and serve with corn chips or as a condiment to grilled chicken, fish or steak.Copyright © 2018 Lidey Heuck, All rights reserved.
This looks delicious! Do you cook the corn on the cob before you cut the corn from the ears?
Zesty!
Is it possible to use frozen corn if out of season?
I haven’t tried this recipe with frozen corn unfortunately, but if you try let me know how it turns out!
Looks phenomenal!!! Curious– being a bean-o-phile, why not some black beans? I know there’s lots of starch with the corn, but what about the smooth texture of the bean? I truly am not suggesting that they are necessary, but maybe there is a cook-logic reason for their exclusion?
I think maybe because the beans are usually canned would be one reason to exclude them. Everything in the recipe is fresh from the summer harvest. Just a thought, although I love them as well!
Hi Kate! Sorry for the late reply to your question! You could definitely add black beans to this salsa ( I love beans, too!) but I like the lightness and freshness it has with just the fresh summer produce. It’s totally up to you! If you do make it with black beans, let me know how it turns out! 🙂
It looks sooo good, I will be making this. Thank you.
Leondria