There is nothing like fresh summer corn. Is there really anything else that better defines summer than biting into a fresh cob of corn? I mean, yeah, yeah, there are a lot of things that define summer. But, somehow, corn is quintessentially summer. And there is such a difference between finding corn on the cob in the off season and that fresh batch of summer corn. That subtle, beautiful sweetness.
I spent most of my childhood in the Midwest, growing up outside of Chicago. When I was a kid, corn was ten cents a cob in the middle of summer. This was before ethanol took off and made the price of corn skyrocket. When I go to the grocery store now, I still find it criminal how much corn is! Because, for me, it will always be ten for a dollar!
Regardless of these insane prices 😜, corn defines summer. Not sure what veggie to have with dinner? Corn. Always, always corn. But besides biting into a delicious cob of corn, I absolutely love adding corn to dishes. Gnocchi, pasta, salsa, or, in this case, making a corn salad.
But, I really shouldn’t just focus on the corn… it’s just that.. corn!!! Anywho, moving on. This dish really captures all the flavors of summer. Fresh, fresh, fresh. And, if you’re a gardener like me, you might just be able to grab a lot of these items from your vegetable garden! Honestly, the only thing I’m not growing on this ingredient list is, well, corn 🤦🏻♀️.
So, you may well know already that my husband and I love scallops. I think it’s becoming harder and harder to pinpoint what my favorite seafood actually is: squid, mussels, scallops, octopus, soft shell crab probably topping the list, not necessarily in that order! We enjoy scallops in a plethora of different ways, and when I decided to make a salsa verde scallop recipe, it turned out to be a real winner!
If you want to save time, absolutely feel free to purchase a pre-made salsa verde. But, it’s super easy to make from scratch! The scallops are seared on each side while spooning butter over them. I finish them off with a squeeze of lemon before gently tossing them in the salsa verse.
The corn salad is so delicious, you’ll be making it with everything! It’ll go great with grilled corn, steak, fish, etc., etc., etc. The corn is cooked in bacon grease with jalapeños and poblano peppers until firm tender. Because this is a seafood dish, I tossed the salad with some lemon juice also. It is such a simple dish but loaded with flavor!
I opted for store-bought guacamole. I don’t have to make everything from scratch all of the time! I smeared some guacamole on a plate next to a scoop of the corn salad and topped it with scallops and bacon. Then, a little sprinkle of cotija cheese, and, woo boy, you have a burst of summer on a plate!
This dish seriously couldn’t be easier and the flavors that come out! My husband was in love: “we have to have this again before the end of summer!” Yes, yes we do.
Enjoy!
Salsa Verde Scallops with Summer Corn Salad and Guacamole
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Seafood, TexMex, Latin American
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
16 sea scallops, pat dry and light seasoned with salt and pepper
2 TBs butter
½ lemon
Salsa Verde
4 tomatillos, cut in half
1 poblano pepper, cut in half and deseeded
1 jalapeño, cut in half and deseeded
½ a small white onion
4 garlic cloves
handful cilantro
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 lime, juiced and zested
salt and pepper
Summer Corn Salad
2 ears corn, kernels removed
1 poblano, deseeded and chopped
1 jalapeño, deseeded, if desired, and minced
6 strips bacon, roughly chopped
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper
To Serve
1 cup homemade or store-bought guacamole
cotija cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Preheat the oven broiler to high. Place the tomatillos, poblano, and jalapeño on a sheet pan and place on the second rack below the broiler. Keeping a close eye on the sheet pan, let the produce broil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip everything and broil for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until everything is browned to very lightly blackened on the outside.
Add the tomatillos, poblano, jalapeño, onion, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin powder, lime zest and juice, and a good pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Set aside.
Meanwhile, place the bacon evenly on a cast iron pan and heat over medium. Cook until desired crispiness then flip and finish cooking. Remove and set on paper towels to drain. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat. Add the corn, poblano, and jalapeño to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until everything is lightly roasted. Drizzle with the lemon juice and cook until the lemon juice has steamed off. Remove from the heat. Roughly chop or break up the bacon and add to the corn salad, stirring to combine.
In a separate nonstick pan, melt the 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Cooking in batches if necessary, cook the sea scallops for about 3 minutes per side, spooning the butter over the tops as they cook. Squeeze the half a lemon over the top.
To serve, smear guacamole onto each plate. Top with the corn salad and four scallops each. Sprinkle the tops with cotija cheese. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Keywords: salsa verde, salsa verde scallops, scallops and avocados, scallops and guacamole, corn salad, corn bacon salad, summer corn salad, summer corn, scallops and summer corn
