Charred corn and prawn salad
Fun fact; Lazy Sunday’s Founding Fathers grew up on dairy farms. Which invariably meant dads finishing work spattered in cow poo and unpasteurised milk, a load of colourful swearing directed at the working dogs, the air hanging heavy with the ripe, foetid fragrance of silage, and entire paddocks planted in corn, another popular feed for the herd. Consequently, we ate a hella lot of corn growing up – always boiled, always served whole, and dependably slathered in butter. It’s fair to assume our mums had never heard of coriander and didn’t have access to fresh prawns because if they had, maybe they’d have been a touch more adventurous with their corn cookery? Then again, maybe not.
A few decades and an internet’s worth of cooking influences later and here we are, fashioning our corn into this enticing mess of lime mayo-slathered goodness. It's YUM. That slightly smoky corn char disguises the fact that our store-bought corn does not taste like the corn of our childhood memories and that’s not just namby-pamby nostalgia speaking. No, the natural sugars in corn start converting to starch right after picking, making the kernels less sweet and more tough. So if you can get freshly picked farm-gate corn, all the tenderer, all the sweeter, and all the overall betterer.
Serve this bright, summery salad as part of a broader BBQ feast, or make it a light dinner when all you feel like is charred corn, juicy cherry tomatoes, sweet prawns, creamy avo and that bracing citrus dressing. Leave the prawns out if you want, or replace them with flakes of charred salmon, your fav white fish, scallops (!) or shredded cold chicken. 🌽🦐 🌽🦐 🌽
SERVES 4-6
4 corn cobs, cleaned
vegetable oil, for grilling
800g cooked king or tiger prawns, peeled
180g yellow or red cherry tomatoes, sliced
1 large ripe avocado, sliced
2 spring onions, finely sliced
handful coriander sprigs
1 jalapeno chilli, thinly sliced
lime halves, to serve (optional)
½ tsp smoked paprika, for serving
Lime mayo
1½ tsp cumin seeds
185g (¾ cup) mayonnaise
finely grated zest of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, very finely grated
1½ tbsp lime juice, or to taste
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander stems
For the lime mayo, place a small, heavy-based frypan over medium heat, add the cumin seeds, then dry-roast, shaking the pan occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until fragrant. Remove to a mortar, cool, then coarsely crush with a pestle. Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, add 1 tsp of the crushed cumin seeds, then whisk to combine well. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
Heat your barbecue or a chargrill plate over medium-high heat. Lightly brush the corn cobs with vegetable oil, then grill, turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until tender and lightly charred all over. Remove to a large bowl and cool to room temperature.
Meanwhile, cut the prawns in half lengthways and remove the digestive tract. Remove the corn kernels from the cobs using a large, sharp knife, then combine in a large bowl with the prawns, tomato, avocado, spring onion and coriander. Drizzle over some of the dressing, season with salt and pepper, then gently toss to lightly coat. Transfer to a large serving platter, scatter over the chilli, coriander sprigs, smoked paprika and remaining cumin, then serve with lime wedges for squeezing over and with the remaining dressing to add, to taste.
