Charred Corn, Tomatoes, Halloumi, and Chili Crisp
Serves: 4 servings as a light meal or side or 2 servings as a meal
This recipe was pulled from the Salad Freak cookbook by Jess Damuck which I am 100% obsessed with. I am both jealous of and also in love with the recipes. Jealous because it is exactly the type of cookbook I have dreamed about creating however, I am not a recipe developer or even a home chef. Happy because Jess has put it out into the world instead and I can pretend we would be friends if we met. So far, I’ve only tried recipes in the Summer chapter, but they were all SO GOOD, simple, and healthy.
Ingredients
4 ears sweet corn
2 large heirloom tomatoes
1 handful of fresh basil
8 ounces (225 g) halloumi cheese sliced into 4 pieces
Neutral oil for the grill grates
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chili Crisp
Preparation
Preheat a grill to medium-high, about 425° F.
Remove the silk from the corn by pulling down most of the outer husks and rubbing off the silk with a paper towel. Pull the husks back up. To prevent the husks from burning, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes before grilling. Remember to pat each one dry before placing them on the grill.
Oil the grill grates. You can use a paper towel to do this. Char the ears of corn on the grill for about 15 minutes. They should become slightly blackened on all sides and the kernels should become tender. Remove each ear from the grill with tongs and let them cool down enough to handle. Once cooled down, pull the husks down and return the ears to the grill for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the grill and set aside.
Slice 8 ounces of halloumi into 4 pieces. Place on the grill for about 3 minutes per side so they become soft and charred. If your grill grates are really spaced out and the halloumi will fall through, you can cook the slices on the stove.
Once the corn is cool, slice off the kernels over a sheet pan — a riff on the stand-tall method. Hold each ear of corn tall, straight, or slightly angled, with the cut-side resting inside the sheet pan, then simply slice down all sides of the corn to remove the kernels. The rimmed sides of the pan should keep the kernels contained.
Cut two tomatoes into 1-inch thick wedges, add to a large bowl with the corn, and season with salt and pepper.
To Serve
To serve, scatter the tomatoes and corn onto a plate. Cut the halloumi in half on the diagonal to create 8 triangles and place over the corn and tomatoes. *Drizzle a tolerable amount of Chili Crisp over the top.* Garnish with a handful of basil.
*Jess’s recipe calls for a GENEROUS amount of Chili Crisp. Synonyms for generous are: acceptable, big, fair, and reasonable but also bounteous, copious, plentiful, and free-handed. I confused generous with GOBS. Don’t be like me.
