Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Mint and Quinoa

This fresh, summery charred corn salad is packed with quinoa, herbs, avocado and feta cheese and tossed in a light white wine vinegar & lime juice vinaigrette. Perfect for a barbecue side dish!

We are all about the summery salads around here! Our faves include Greek chicken pasta salad as well as this crunchy Asian cucumber salad. When we want to make the most of summer's fresh corn, we turn to this charred corn salad!

With a quinoa base, this salad has corn, avocado, fresh herbs and mint, all tossed in a tangy vinaigrette.

You can make this corn salad a meal by topping with grilled chicken or broiled salmon, or you can serve it as a light, refreshing, side salad.

Recipe video

Watch the video below to see how simple it is to throw this recipe together. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

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Fresh corn is best

Nothing beats fresh, sweet summer corn, and you just won't get the same flavor if you swap it out for canned or frozen corn.

Grilling the corn adds a charred, smoky flavor to the sweetness, which is really nice, however you may skip this step and cook the corn by boiling it or in an Instant Pot if you don't have a grill.

Grilling corn

Some people prefer to leave the husks on the corn when grilling. If you choose to cook it this way, you must first remove the silk. Pull back the husk, then remove the silk, and fold the husk back up around the corn.

In this recipe, we've grilled the corn without the husk. Brush the corn with oil, and place directly onto a grill heated to medium heat. Keep the lid down, and turn the corn every 5 minutes, for a total of 20 minutes, or until the corn is cooked through to your liking.

The vinaigrette

To balance the fresh, sweet and salty flavors of this salad, we are tossing everything up in a tangy, citrussy vinaigrette. Extra virgin olive oil helps disperse the vinaigrette, while white wine vinegar gives it a nice, tangy flavor. Honey balances the tanginess with a touch of sweetness, while lime juice adds a citrussy flavor. Salt and pepper help enhance the flavors of all the ingredients in the salad.

Consider doubling or tripling the recipe and keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Making the salad

1. Start by cooking your quinoa, giving it time to cool completely to room temperature.
2. Cook your corn, allow it to cool slightly, then cut the kernels off the cob.
3. Shake up the lime vinaigrette.
4. Toss together all salad ingredients, and serve!

Cook the quinoa ahead

You want to make sure that your quinoa is cooled completely before assembling this salad. You can cook quinoa in the Instant Pot, on the stove top, or in a rice cooker. Cooked quinoa may be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Assemble just before serving

Due to the fresh herbs in this salad (mint, cilantro and parsley), as well as the avocado, this salad is best assembled just before serving.

If you want to assemble the corn, quinoa, red onion and feta cheese with the vinaigrette ahead of time, you can definitely do this, then stir in the fresh herbs and avocado before serving.

Serve it with

• Perfect Baked Chicken Breast
• Freaking Amazing Pork Tenderloin Marinade
• Easy Breaded Air Fryer Chicken Breast
• Perfect Air Fryer Salmon
• Grilled Chicken Wings with Thai Glaze

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Charred Corn Salad with Feta, Mint and Quinoa

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

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This fresh, summery charred corn salad is packed with quinoa, herbs, avocado and feta cheese and tossed in a light white wine vinegar & lime juice vinaigrette. Perfect for a barbecue side dish!

4

Ingredients

Salad

• ▢ ½ cup quinoa uncooked
• ▢ 3 ears corn
• ▢ 1 tablespoon oil
• ▢ ⅓ cup feta cheese crumbled
• ▢ ¼ cup parsley chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup cilantro chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup mint leaves chopped
• ▢ ¼ red onion in slivers
• ▢ 1 avocado cubed

Dressing

• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lime juice
• ▢ 1 teaspoon honey
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

• Cook quinoa according to package directions. Set aside to cool.
• Brush corn with oil. Grill over medium heat, for 20 minutes (or until corn is cooked to your liking), turning every 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. When cooled, cut corn kernels off.
• Assemble quinoa, corn and remaining salad ingredients in a medium bowl.
• Shake together dressing ingredients and toss with salad.

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Tips:

Storage

This salad is best served fresh.

You may leave off the avocado and fresh herbs and store in an air tight container for up to 4 days.

 

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/4 batch, Calories: 324kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 11mg, Sodium: 158mg, Potassium: 592mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 755IU, Vitamin C: 16.7mg, Calcium: 90mg, Iron: 2.1mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Salad

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

• Inspired by this Food & Wine recipe