Charred Corn Quinoa Salad
That’s charred, as opposed to chard, which would likely also be delicious.
I just made this for lunch, and wanted to share it right away. It was a spur-of-the-moment salad, made because it occurred to me that such a combo would be delicious, and because I’m making a concerted effort to not fill up on banana muffins and toast and eat mostly things that are nutrient-dense (and delicious), even if it requires a lot of chopping and our kitchen counters are currently torn out. (One of the pieces landed on our back porch, and has been turned into an outdoor kitchen of sorts. The barbecue is earning its keep. Our new dining table is outside, and it’s called laps. What do people do when they renovate in the midwinter? Takeout?)
As a salad, this is open to interpretation. And the measurements are pretty lax. I’ve been on a bit of a homemade salsa kick this week (a result of a story I was working on), and really these are the components of a chunky salsa, tossed with quinoa and drizzled with chili-lime vinaigrette. It would do well with peppers, or black beans, or anything within that realm – even crumbled feta.
Happy summer lap-eating.
Charred Corn Quinoa Salad

Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve. In a medium pot of boiling water, cook the quinoa for 12 minutes, or until the germ separates and there's the merest white dot left at the core. Drain through the sieve and return to the dry pan; remove from heat, cover with a tea towel and let steam for another 10 minutes or so. Transfer to a shallow bowl and set aside to cool.
Husk the corn while you preheat the barbecue to high. Place the cobs directly on the grill and cook, turning until charred all over, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut the kernels off the cob into a wide bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
To make the vinaigrette, shake all the ingredients up in a jar, then drizzle over the salad.
Ingredients
Directions
Rinse the quinoa in a fine sieve. In a medium pot of boiling water, cook the quinoa for 12 minutes, or until the germ separates and there's the merest white dot left at the core. Drain through the sieve and return to the dry pan; remove from heat, cover with a tea towel and let steam for another 10 minutes or so. Transfer to a shallow bowl and set aside to cool.
Husk the corn while you preheat the barbecue to high. Place the cobs directly on the grill and cook, turning until charred all over, about 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then cut the kernels off the cob into a wide bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine.
To make the vinaigrette, shake all the ingredients up in a jar, then drizzle over the salad.
This looks fantastic Julie! I am a huge fan of quinoa, and can only imagine how good this is. Such a simple vinaigrette with basic hispanic flavours can lift a simple salad to new heights, and it looks like even the perfect side for a barbecue 🙂
I made Mexican pulled chicken for dinner today, which was basically like a huge pot of salsa-chicken, so good! 😀
Thanks for sharing more Summer inspiration, and that little work-top for outside looks pretty nifty if you ask me 😀 x