Char grilled summer veggies topped with creamy, salty feta cheese and fresh herbs. This delicious corn and zucchini salad will quickly become your go-to summer side!
Nothing says peak summer like fresh sweet corn and zucchini everywhere. A lot of people I know grow zucchini and are constantly looking for fun ways to mix it up. This simple, wildly delicious salad is the epitome summer on a plate. It makes an appearance on my table several times a week during the season!
I love zucchini for its versatility. From sweets to burgers to salads, you can put zucchini in pretty much everything.
This salad is healthy, full of flavor and super easy to throw together. It tastes great warm or room temp and is perfect for a summer BBQ but also makes a delicious and light lunch. Let’s get into it!
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Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients and a hot grill (or grill pan) to make this simple, delicious salad!
Zucchini – the fresher, the better! Look for zucchini that are small to medium-sized. They should be firm and free of nicks and cuts. Really fresh zucchini will bristle with tiny hairs.
Corn – this recipe is best with fresh, sweet corn cut off the cob but you could substitute thawed frozen in a pinch.
Red onion – cut into thick slices for grilling.
Fresh Herbs – My favorite to use in this salad is cilantro. Whatever you have that’s fresh! I’ve done it with parsley and basil before and they are all delicious.
Feta Cheese – the creamy, salty feta combined with the flavor of the charred fresh veggies is what makes this salad so delicious. A must!
Olive Oil – use a good olive oil, you will taste it in this recipe! The Furies is my favorite.
White Wine Vinegar – I tend to use white wine vinegar but red wine or champagne vinegar will work nicely as well.
Salt & Pepper – that’s all you need!
Method
This salad is the perfect thing to whip up as a side to whatever you have going on the grill. It requires minimal prep!
If you don’t have a grill, no worries, you can make this indoors on grill pan or even just a super hot cast iron skillet. We’re looking for char on the veggies to bring out the natural sweetness in peak summer produce so however you get it done!
Let your grill or pan heat up for at least 5 minutes until it’s screaming hot. While it’s heating, remove the husks and silk from the corn. Remove the tough ends from the zucchini and slice in half, lengthwise. Peel the red onion and slice horizontally in about ½ inch thick slices, keeping the rings intact.
Brush all of the veggies with oil and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt.
Grill the veggies until tender-crisp and charred a bit on the outside. The onion and corn will take about 10-12 minutes. Flip the onion halfway through and rotate the corn 2-3 times to ensure that all sides are charred. The zucchini will take about 6-8 minutes, flipping halfway through.
Once your veggies are cooked to tender crisp perfection with some char on the outside, let them cool until they are safe to handle. Assemble the salad by removing the corn kernels from the cob, cutting the zucchini and onion into chunks and tossing the veggies with olive oil, vinegar, feta and herbs. So delicious!
How to Serve Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad
No dressing? Nope, doesn’t need anything more than a drizzle of good olive oil, a splash of tangy vinegar and some salt and pepper. When summer veggies are at their peak, the flavors speak for themselves!
I’ll say it again, this is the PERFECT, summer side dish for any meal. It pairs will with chicken, fish, steak, burgers, whatever you have on the grill. Any vegetarians at the party will be thrilled!
This salad can be served warm, room temp or cold. It’s best eaten day of but will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1-2 days.
More Ways to Enjoy Fresh Summer Zucchini
Zucchini is EVERYWHERE during the summer and my favorite thing about it is how many ways you can use it! Here are some of my favorite zucchini recipes:
Garam Masala Spiced Zucchini Bread
Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad
Ingredients
- 3 ears fresh sweet corn about 1 ½ cups of corn kernels
- 2 medium zucchini or 3 small, 3-4 cups when cut up
- ½ large red onion
- ¼ cup fresh soft herbs like cilantro basil or parsley
- 3 oz feta cheese
- 2-3 tbsp good olive oil
- 1-2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- salt & pepper to taste
- avocado oil or other high heat oil for brushing
Instructions
- Remove husk and silk from corn. Peel onion and slice horizontally into half inch slices, keeping rings intact, remove tough ends from zucchini and slice in half lengthwise. Brush vegetables with high heat oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Heat grill or grill pan to high for at least five minutes until very hot.
- Grill veggies until tender crisp and charred on all sides. Start with onions and after about 2 minutes, add corn to the grill. After 3-4 minutes, add zucchini and grill everything for an additional 3-4 minutes. Make sure to rotate corn 2-3 times and flip onion and zucchini halfway through cooking.
- Once the veggies are charred, remove from grill and set aside to cool until you are able to handle them.
- While the veggies are cooling, chop up ¼ of of herbs.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully remove corn kernels from the cob and place in a large bowl. Dice red onion slices and cut up zucchini into ½ inch chunks and add to corn.
- Drizzle veggies with 2-3 tablespoons good olive oil and 1-2 tablespoons white wine vinegar. Toss gently to combine.
- Add in crumbled feta and chopped herbs. Gently combine and check for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm, room temperature or cold.
Jen
Yum! This was the perfect salad for zucchini season. It was really easy to put this salad together and it delivered delicious results.
Kaluhi
I love courgette and this salad will be one that i will be having every single week for the next 3 months. I enjoyed it so much!
Carita
I am a sucker for corn and have been wanting to find new ways to prepare it. This recipe was AMAZING! The feta cheese was the perfect treat and overall texture was beyond satisfying. I’ll be making this again for sure!
Marcus Avery
This salad is perfect for warmer weather. I made it as a side dish for a picnic and it held up nicely. I can’t wait to make it again!
Robin
One word comes to mind for this salad – obsessed! I honestly could not stop eating it. This will be on my menu all summer long.
Marta
I made this corn and zucchini salad to serve with some grilled chicken thighs and it was a hit. I loved how your instructions made it so easy for me.
Shani
I love making this during hot summer days as a refreshing & easy salad. Thanks for the recipe.
Stephanie
This is the perfect Spring time salad. It was so refreshing and I loved the mixture of flavors.
Christie
This salad is delicious!! I’ll be making it again and again! Kept nicely in the fridge and stayed tasty!!
Jessica
I’m so glad you loved it! It’s probably my favorite summer salad.