Crispy salmon and warm summer corn salad

Hellooooo, new favorite summer meal

Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

---

We have entered that time of year when it’s almost too hot to cook. Things like peanut butter toast and bagged salads sound good most days because they take basically zero minutes to prepare and don’t work up a sweat. But, I cannot (and don’t want to) subsist on these things alone. I want to romanticize life and I do that mostly through delicious, beautiful food.

So, a quick, easy, delicious, and beautiful meal it is this week. Crispy-skinned salmon, cooked to your liking, topped with a creamy, fresh, deeply flavorful corn salad.

Tell me more

We’re cooking skin-on salmon filets in a skillet until the skin is oh-so crispy and the inside is tender and moist. Then, we’re topping it with a quick corn salad that’s warm but creamy and packed with savory additions like cilantro, jalapeño, green onions, and parmesan cheese. The dressing is Greek yogurt-based, so it’s light while keeping it creamy-dreamy. Oh, and did I mention it comes together in about 20 minutes? Just as perfect for a weeknight as it is for a special occasion or dinner party.

Before we start

• I know corn is in season, but I’m using frozen fire-roasted corn here. Honestly, it’s just easier and keeps this meal from taking too long to come together. If you prefer to use fresh corn, I include directions after the recipe in the Notes section.

• Let’s talk salmon!! I’m not above buying salmon from Trader Joe’s when I’m short on time or trying to save a lil’ money, but if you can get it from your local fishmonger instead, I promise it’ll taste infinitely better. Either way, opt for skin-on if you can so you can enjoy that nice crispy skin.

• Speaking of crispy skin salmon, shoutout to J. Kenji López-Alt, whose method for achieving that crunch is my go-to. You can read through his instructions here if you’d like.

• We’re adding jalapeños to the corn salad for some heat. When shopping, look for jalapeños that have brown lines on them. The super shiny, perfectly green ones are younger and therefore not as spicy. (Or, if you want this to be less spicy, go for those.)

• The corn salad is inspired by esquites, a Mexican corn salad that is beyond delicious and I will order it anytime it’s on a menu. Although it’s similar, I took some liberties to make this my own.

• Order of events: Make sure all your salad ingredients are prepped and chopped before beginning, and that your salmon is thoroughly dried and spiced. I like to start heating up my corn while I’m cooking my salmon, then assemble the salad while the salmon rests.

The recipe

Serves: 4