Perfectly seasoned Roasted Corn Salad with sweet peppers is our new favorite summer salad. The well-seasoned crisp corn with sweet bell peppers is roasted to perfection and then served as is, or with a cilantro-lime dressing!
PREP: Arrange 2 oven racks in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pull out 2 extra-large (15x21-inch) sheet pans and set aside. Cut off all the kernels from 8 ears of corn and add all the corn to a large bowl. Dice the bell peppers into 1/4-inch pieces and add to the bowl with corn. (Note 3)
PREPARE: Drizzle on oil and all the seasonings. Toss with a wooden spoon until well coated. Divide the mixture evenly between the 2 pans spacing, out the veggies so they have plenty of room to roast. (More space = better char = better flavor)
ROAST: Place both trays in the oven at the same time (one tray per rack) and roast for 10 minutes. Remove both trays, toss veggies with a spatula, and then rotate trays to the opposite oven racks and roast for another 10 minutes. Repeat process, roasting for 10 more minutes or until nicely charred and roasted to crisp-tender (this will take longer if veggies are crowded on smaller pans). Remove and taste, adding more seasoning if desired.
ENJOY: Either enjoy as is or top with goat cheese and fresh cilantro sprigs (as much as desired). If desired, add some cilantro-lime vinaigrette to the salad (as much or little as you'd like).
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Notes
Note 1: Fresh corn: For the best possible flavor and texture, we're looking for fresh-picked sweet corn. Frozen or canned simply don't work the same for this particular recipe method. Roast fresh-picked corn as soon as possible. As soon as corn is picked, the corn starts to convert the sugars to starches almost immediately--and that reduces the corn's sweetness. If you aren't able to cook it right away, store the corn in the fridge to slow down this process.Note 2: Cilantro-Lime Dressing: We love this salad with and without this dressing. But if you'd like to make a dressing for this salad, combine the following in a blender: 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1/4 cup loosely packed cilantro, 2 tsp seeded jalapeños, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, 2 tbsp lime juice plus 1/2 tsp zest, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt & 1/8 tsp pepper. Blend until smooth.Note 3: Don't skip the bowl: We found this recipe worked best if veggies were first tossed with everything in a bowl (instead of tossed together on the pan). That said, if you're determined to do it on the pan and skip the bowl, you'll need more oil and may find the seasonings don't spread as evenly.