Grilled Corn Salad Recipe

By
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
Leah Maroney
A recipe developer and food photographer, Leah Maroney is an ardent home cook and food blogger who has written over 300 recipes for The Spruce Eats.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 05/29/22
grilled corn salad

The Spruce Eats / Leah Maroney

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 8 servings
Yield: 1 bowl

There’s nothing better than freshly grilled corn in the summer. Instead of serving plain old corn on the cob, try this delicious grilled corn salad. It’s full of bright, lemony flavor and is tossed with grilled zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and feta cheese. There’s crunch, sweetness, creaminess, and it’s a great vegetarian (or vegan, if you leave out the feta) option amongst all the burgers and dogs.

If you already have grilled corn from another barbecue, this is a great way to use up leftovers.

Serve warm, cold, or room temperature. It's a great dish to make ahead of time, as the flavors only get better the longer it sits.

Ingredients

For the Salad:

  • 5 medium ears corn, husks on

  • 2 medium zucchini

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, more for the zucchini

  • 1 teaspoon salt, divided

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided

  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 1/4 cup minced garlic scapes

  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

  • 5 medium basil leaves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon chives, minced

  • 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    corn salad ingredients

  2. Heat your grill on high heat and grill the corn, husks on for 10-15 minutes or until the corn is tender.

    Rotate the corn halfway through grilling.

    grilled corn with the husks on

  3. While the corn is grilling, slice the zucchini into long strips.

    sliced zucchini into strips

  4. Brush both sides of the slices with some of the olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

    zucchini slices brushed with olive oil

  5. Add the zucchini to the grill and grill for a few minutes on each side, or until softened and charred with grill marks. 

    grilled zucchini strips

  6. Dice the zucchini into ½ inch cubes.

    grilled zucchini diced in a pan

  7. Cut the kernels off the corn. We like to place the cob in the opening of a tube cake pan. This helps hold the cob steady and the cake pan catches all of the kernels neatly.

    corn kernels

  8. Gather your dressing ingredients. The 2 remaining tablespoons olive oil, the garlic scapes, lemon, vinegar, basil, chives, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

    grilled corn salad dressing ingredients

  9. Whisk together.

    grilled corn salad dressing whisked in a bowl

  10. Toss the corn kernels, halved cherry tomatoes, diced zucchini, and dressing together in a large bowl.

    corn salad tossed in a bowl

  11. Top the corn salad with the feta cheese and more fresh herbs if you wish. 

    grilled corn salad in a bowl

Recipe Tips

  • It’s a good idea to cook the corn with the husks on. This prevents the kernels from getting tough on the grill. The corn essentially steams in the husks and then a quick char out of the husks provides the flavor and color.
  • Use leftover grilled corn to make this salad quickly and it's a great way to use it up!
  • You can also steam the corn or boil the corn and then grill to give it the charred look and taste.

Recipe Variations

  • If you can’t find garlic scapes, just substitute scallions.
  • You can use balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
106 Calories
5g Fat
14g Carbs
3g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 106
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g 7%
Saturated Fat 1g 7%
Cholesterol 4mg 1%
Sodium 965mg 42%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 2g 8%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 15mg 76%
Calcium 43mg 3%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 348mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)