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Grilled Corn Salsa

Jul 28, 2017 12 Comments

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This grilled corn salsa is perfect for parties and gatherings. You don’t even need a barbecue grill to make it! All you need is your gas stove and metal tongs to grill the corn. Be warned, this salsa is quite addictive!

EASY Grilled Corn Salsa (without the BBQ Grill) - This simple grilled corn salsa is prepared with the corn grilled right on the stove! Great for parties and gatherings!

Back when I was in high school, I tasted Indian roasted corn on the cob for the first time at a friend’s birthday party. His family fired up some corn on the grill, and I remember one of his aunts handed me some halved limes and spices for the corn. I remember being very confused about what I was supposed to do. Mind you, the only corn I ate during that time was Mama Lin’s boiled corn or corn that came straight from a can (creamed corn was my favorite, by the way.)

My friend’s aunt showed me how I was supposed to eat the corn: first, I sprinkle some spices and salt on the lime, and then I rub the lime all over the corn. I was very skeptical about all of this. You know how teenagers are sometimes when they see new foods they’ve never tried before.

So, I did what she suggested, rubbing this lime that’s been muddled with red spices all over the corn, making a mess along the way. I finally took a bite, and you know what, it tasted great! I did go a little crazy with the spice, so the heat got to me a little. Once I opened my mouth and fanned my tongue a few times, I was ready for more. (Side note, why do we always do that when we eat spicy foods anyway?!)

EASY Grilled Corn Salsa (without the BBQ Grill) - This simple grilled corn salsa is prepared with the corn grilled right on the stove! Great for parties and gatherings!

I thought of this experience a few weeks ago, and it inspired me to make this grilled corn salsa. Initially, my idea was to grill corn on the cob and rub all the spices on the corn first before slicing off the kernels, similar to what I did at my friend’s party. After trying different cooking methods, I realized that mixing all the ingredients inside a bowl was a better way to distribute all the spices, so, that’s what I’m sticking to!

One of the key ingredients in Indian roasted corn is chaat masala, which isn’t easy for me to find. That’s why I just used whatever spices in my pantry to flavor the salsa. It’s not exactly Indian roasted corn, but it still tastes great!

EASY Grilled Corn Salsa (without the BBQ Grill) - This simple grilled corn salsa is prepared with the corn grilled right on the stove! Great for parties and gatherings!

MASTERING MY MISTAKES / COOKING NOTES

  • Grilling the corn on the stove: Okay, so I don’t actually own a barbecue grill, which is why I grilled it on top of the stove. This method of grilling the corn works, but you do have to keep an eye on the corn! As the corn is grilling, the kernels will start to pop and some juices might splatter. Be careful and don’t stand too close to the stove. Things do get a bit messy, so you’ll probably need to scrub your stove once all is said and done. Unless you’re Mama Lin, in which case, your entire stove is already covered in foil. Asian parents, what can you say?
  • Baked tortilla chips: The chips you see in the photos are my homemade baked tortilla chips! Here’s the recipe for them.
  • Alternative cooking method: If you don’t have a gas stove, you can just slice off the corn kernels and pan fry them lightly in a pan.
  • Make sure to use metal tongs: You don’t want anything to melt while you’re turning the corn around. These are the tongs I used.

Print

Grilled Corn Salsa

EASY Grilled Corn Salsa (without the BBQ Grill) - This simple grilled corn salsa is prepared with the corn grilled right on the stove! Great for parties and gatherings!

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Lisa Lin
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6 to 8 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 medium ears of corn (white or yellow corn works)
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup chopped red onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (depending on the amount of spice you want)
  • juice from 1 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

Instructions

  1. Remove the corn husks and silks. Place one ear of corn on top of a burner on your (gas) stove. Turn the heat on to medium. Using metal tongs, turn the corn around every 20 to 30 seconds, until the corn blackens. You’ll probably need to move the corn up and down over the flame in order to char the entire ear of corn. Once you have grilled the corn to your liking, set it aside on a plate to cool. Repeat for the remaining ears of corn.
  2. Snap each ear of corn in half. Stand a half an ear of corn, cut side down and slice off the corn kernels. Repeat until you have sliced off all the kernels from the corn cobs.
  3. Add the corn, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, salt, cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper and lime juice. Stir to incorporate all the ingredients. Taste the salsa and adjust the spices to your liking. Serve immediately.

Notes

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Amount For 1/8 of Recipe: Calories: 80, Total Fat 1.2g, Saturated Fat: 0.3g, Sodium: 193mg, Cholesterol: 0mg, Total Carbohydrate: 17.7g, Dietary Fiber: 2.3g, Sugar: 6g, Protein 3g

If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, feel free to substitute them with whatever tomatoes you have on hand.

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EASY Grilled Corn Salsa (without the BBQ Grill) - This simple grilled corn salsa is prepared with the corn grilled right on the stove! Great for parties and gatherings!

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Appetizers, Dairy Free, Quick Meals, under 10 ingredients, Vegan, Vegetarian corn, tomatoes

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bethany says

    July 31, 2017 at 9:42 am

    Oh! This corn salsa looks delicious!

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 2, 2017 at 9:18 am

      Thanks, Bethany!

      Reply
  2. cleo says

    August 10, 2017 at 9:25 am

    I don’t have a gas stove but I do have a grill pan, would that also work for the corn?

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 10, 2017 at 1:09 pm

      Absolutely. It will take a bit longer to cook, but you should be able to get grill marks on the corn.

      Reply
  3. Ushmana Palmo Rai says

    August 13, 2017 at 9:12 am

    Hey ! I am from Nepal, a neighbor to India and we also have grilled corn here too , except we use direct fire from firewood to roast them and the taste of firewood on the corn feels so cozy ! I have only tried plain roasted corn. Who knew I was missing out on a great taste with this salsa recipe? Thank you so much for this creative idea Lisa !
    Definitely trying the corn with chaat masala , some lime and some spices ( I like my food spiced up 😉 along with tortilla chips!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Karen @ The Food Charlatan says

    August 16, 2017 at 9:58 pm

    Ummm YES this looks so good!! I love imagining little 15 year old Lisa being like, um, I’m not gonna eat that. haha!! Also, I totally fan my tongue when things get hot. Why, why? As if it will help?? We are total dorks!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 20, 2017 at 9:37 pm

      Hahaha! I’m so glad I’m not the only one. I cooked another super spicy dish for dinner tonight, and I caught myself fanning my tongue again!

      Reply
  5. Natasha says

    August 22, 2017 at 7:53 pm

    So good! I added some jalapeño for an extra kick but this recipe is so simple and soooo delicious!

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      August 22, 2017 at 9:33 pm

      Natasha, thank you for trying the recipe!! I love the jalapeño addition!!

      Reply
  6. TurksWhoEat says

    August 28, 2017 at 4:37 pm

    This looks beautiful and it sounds delicious!

    Reply
  7. Nichole says

    June 4, 2019 at 7:44 pm

    Can you make this with canned corn or frozen corn? I have one arm and is very difficult for me to cut or shave off anything. What do you think?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Lisa Lin says

      June 4, 2019 at 9:22 pm

      Hi, Nichole. You can definitely make a version of this. I’d stir fry frozen corn on a skillet until it’s cooked and then add it to the other salsa ingredients.

      Reply

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