Description
This salad is one of the best recipes I have ever made. This Grilled Corn Zucchini Orzo Salad has a creamy texture from the orzo and the garlic mayonnaise dressing, yet the salad dressing is light on mayonnaise. The grilled corn and zucchini are excellent additions to the texture with a tender and crunchy bite. The salad is topped a tangy flavor from the goat cheese, and the fresh cilantro micro greens. These micro greens have a more subtle taste than the full grown-up cilantro leaves. The cilantro micro greens have a peppery taste and a hint of grassiness.
Ingredients
- 3 ears of corn, shucked. *See notes below if you don't have corn on the cob.
- 1 pound small zucchini, cut into circles
- 1/4 cup & 1/2 Tablespoon EVOO, separated.
- salt & pepper
- 1/2 pound orzo
- 1/4 cup homemade roasted garlic mayonnaise *See notes below for easy recipe
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon minced shallot
- 1/2 teaspoon guajillo pepper, or chili powder
- 1 1/2 cups Cilantro MicroGreens or coarsely chopped cilantro. I highly recommend MicroGreens if you can find it near you. *See notes below.
- 2 ounces fresh goat cheese
- 3 scallops per person
Instructions
Cooking the Corn: Option 1
- In a 6-quart Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven, fill half way with water and bring to a boil. Add the corn ears and cook for about eight minutes. In a grill pan or an indoor electric grill, finish cooking the corn until it's charred. Let it cool and cut the kernels off the corncobs. Transfer to a large bowl.
Cooking the Corn: Option 2
- Turn on the indoor electric grill or heat a grill pan. Place the corn on a baking sheet and brush them with olive oil. Grill over 350-degree heat until charred and crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool. Cut the kernels off the corncobs. Transfer to a large bowl.
Cooking the Orzo:
- In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the orzo until al dente. Drain well and spread the orzo out on a baking sheet; pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to the bowl with the zucchini and corn.
Making the Dressing and pouring on salad:
- In a large mixing, whisk the mayonnaise with the remaining three Tablespoons of olive oil and the lime juice, shallot, chile powder and 1/2 cup of the cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the orzo, corn, zucchini and the remaining micro cilantro and mix well. Transfer to a platter.
Cooking the Scallops and finishing the salad:
- Season the scallop with salt & pepper.
- Pan sear the scallops in a smoking hot pan and add a 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil, or butter.
- Place them gently in the pan and don't touch them until you have to turn them to the other side, 1 & 1/2 minutes per side. Do not overcook them!!!!
- Place the scallops onto the plate and add chunks of goat cheese and sprinkle more micro cilantro.
Notes
- Use frozen corn if you don't have fresh corn and sauté in a hot skillet until getting golden burnt color. Tip: 3 ears of fresh corn is equal to 2-1/4 cups of frozen corn kernels
- To make homemade Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise, roast a head of garlic drizzled with olive oil and salt in the oven at 350F for 45 minutes. Then take one clove of the roasted garlic, chop and mash and combine with 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Modify number of cloves and amount of mayo depending on how much you love garlic.
- Cilantro micro greens have a more subtle taste than the full grown cilantro leaves. The cilantro micro greens have a peppery bite and a hint of grassiness.
Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 42%, Calcium 5%, Iron 11%, Vitamin B12 4%, Vitamin E 9%, Vitamin K 18%
- Prep Time: 25
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Salad
- Method: frying
- Cuisine: American, International
Nutrition
- Calories: 478
- Sugar: 6.6 g
- Sodium: 192.5 mg
- Fat: 17.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.1 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 33.4 g
- Cholesterol: 13.3 mg
