Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad with Shrimp

Grilled sweet corn is probably my favourite thing to eat in late summer. Especially if you can find locally grown Ontario sweet corn (as someone who grew up in Ontario, that might be a little biased of me—oops). It's super sweet and juicy and delicious with just about anything!

My all-time favourite way to serve it is in a salad with tomatoes, cheddar, basil and chives. The corn gets grilled, then added to a bowl of tomatoes and cheddar, and tossed in a light dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. The whole thing gets topped with lots of fresh basil and chives and can be served either slightly warm, fresh from the grill, or cold from the fridge. I also like adding grilled shrimp when I want to make it a full meal. Once you've tried this combination I promise you'll crave it again and again!

Equipment

Here's everything you need to make this grilled corn and tomato salad with shrimp:

• grill - I'm using a propane barbecue!
• large bowl
• chef's knife
• cutting board
• tongs

You can find the full ingredients list and instructions below!

Cooking Tips:

1. Look for raw, deveined, tail-on shrimp. Bigger shrimp are better for grilling because they're less likely to fall through the grates. Aim for Large (20/25) or Jumbo (10/15), if you can find them. ALSO, I always try to shop shrimp from a sustainable source and almost always find them cheaper in the frozen aisle! Do with that information what you will!
2. Be careful not to dry out your corn when grilling. There are a few ways to avoid this 1) coat the corn in a light layer of oil to promote browning and 2) cook it over a high heat for a short amount of time to get charred pieces without over cooking. The kernels should still be plump and bright yellow, with spots of char throughout, when you pull it off.

Grilled Corn and Tomato Salad with Shrimp

5 from 1 vote

The perfect salad to highlight in-season sweet corn.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 ears sweet corn
• 350 g cherry or sun gold tomatoes
• 100 g white cheddar
• 2 tablespoon thinly chopped chives
• 10 basil leaves
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil like canola or avocado
• salt I'm using Diamond Crystal Kosher

Optional

• 340 g shrimp
• 1 tbsp neutral oil like canola or avocado

Method

 

1. Preheat a seasoned grill to 400°F.
2. Meanwhile, cut 340g tomatoes into halves and cut 100g white cheddar into small cubes (about 1 cm thick). Finally, thinly slice enough chives to fill 2 tbsp, if you haven't already.
3. Add the tomatoes to a large bowl and cover with ¼ cup olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp), and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to coat and set aside while you grill the corn.
4. Lightly coat 4 ears of corn in 1 tablespoon neutral oil and place on the preheated grill. Put the lid down and cook at 400°F for 3 minutes. Rotate, and repeat until the corn until it's slightly charred all over but still plump and yellow. It should take about 3-5 more minutes.
5. If cooking shrimp, season generously with 1 teaspoon salt and cover in 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Toss to coat and place on the grill next to the corn. Cook with the lid down for 3 minutes, then flip. The shrimp should be pink with noticeable grill marks and about 90% cooked by the time you flip it. Finish by cooking for another minute on the other side. Remove and set aside.
6. Remove the corn and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, add the cheddar to the tomatoes along with 5 basil leaves, 2 tablespoon chives and another generous pinch of salt. When the corn is slightly cooled, cut the kernels from the cob and transfer them to the bowl with the tomatoes. Toss everything and plate with remaining basil and shrimp, if using.

Notes

I like to season a grill by using tongs to dip a dish cloth, or paper towel, in neutral oil, then rub it all over the grill grates until evenly coated. Do this before turning on the grill to avoid sticking!