Smoked Corn Salad: A Labor Day Recipe

Mike Dwyer

Mike Dwyer is a former writer and contributor at Ordinary Times.

Related Post Roulette

15 Responses

  1. Maribou says:

    Do you think either sour cream or heavy cream might do as well as the mayo?

    Ponderingly,
    Your friendly neighborhood how-can-someone-be-allergic-to-mayo corn loverReport

    • Mike Dwyer in reply to Maribou says:

      Sour cream should work and might even play nicer with the salsa. If your mayo allergy is egg-related, the Justmayo brand is vegan and egg-less. We have it in the regular mayo section at Kroger (King Sooper in your area).Report

      • Maribou in reply to Mike Dwyer says:

        @mike-dwyer Unfortunately it’s something to do with the commercial production process (preservative maybe?) – I am not at all allergic to homemade old-fashioned mayo and 100 percent allergic to every commercial mayo, or ranch dressing, or “creamy” any-style salad dressing that I have tried. Even if I don’t know it’s there, it will lead to Much Immediate Unpleasantness upon consumption. Only thing that seems to fix it is baking – there’s a few cake recipes that have some mayo and they seem fine – I hypothesize that whatever-it-is gets broken down during the same chemical transformation that turns flour, sugar, baking powder, and eggs into cake :).

        Good to know about the sour cream. We’ll have to try it out one of these days.Report

        • George Turner in reply to Maribou says:

          From Googling:

          Miracle Whip is made from water, soybean oil, high-fructose corn syrup, vinegar, modified corn starch, eggs, salt, natural flavor, mustard flour, potassium sorbate, paprika, spice, and dried garlic.

          The actual list of ingredients in Hellmann’s Real Mayonnaise are soybean oil, water, whole eggs and egg yolks, vinegar, salt, sugar, lemon juice, calcium disodium EDTA (used to protect quality), natural flavors.

          [Kraft real mayonnaise] Soybean Oil, Water, Eggs, Egg Yolks, Vinegar, Contains Less than 2% of Sugar, Salt, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Calcium Disodium EDTA as a Preservative, Dried Garlic, Dried Onions, Spice, Natural Flavor.

          The only ingredients all three have in common is soybean oil, eggs, vinegar, and salt. (Miracle whip lacks lemon juice, sugar, and calcium disodium EDTA.)

          My guess is soybean oil. The FDA doesn’t require listing it as an allergen because almost all soybean oil used in other products is highly refined and contains few allergens, but they are there, and people with soy allergies post about the mayonnaise issue.

          Healthline says “Soy, along with cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, fish, and shellfish, make up the “big eight” allergens. These are responsible for 90 percent of all food allergies, according to the Cleveland Clinic.”

          Nobody at home would make mayo with soybean oil.

          So, are you perhaps allergic to soy beans?

          If so, don’t bother with Hellmann’s Canola mayo because they add soy flavors to it. People with soy allergies tried that and it didn’t work.

          Primal kitchen avocado oil mayo might work. (Ingredients: Avocado Oil, Organic Cage-Free Eggs, Organic Egg Yolks, Organic Vinegar, Sea Salt, Rosemary Extract.)

          And there is soy-free vegenaise if you can stand an egg-less recipe.

          And there’s Wilderness family naturals mayo, made with coconut oil, olive oil, and sesame oil.

          Last year I got into mayo because I sometimes make ranch dressing with a Hidden Valley spice packet and coconut milk instead of mayo. I’ve had it come out great and I’ve had a few misses with it because it really needs a good emulsifier. Then I got the idea of dehydrated mayo to make a backpacking ranch dressing, but some giant food conglomerate already has the patent on it.

          Anyway, regarding the corn salad recipe, can I substitute something like beans for the corn? I don’t have any canned corn. I do have popcorn, which in theory would work, but the texture would be quite different. El Bulli would totally go there, though. They’ve done some very innovative things with popcorn.Report

          • Maribou in reply to George Turner says:

            @george-turner it seems more likely, based on other allergies (and on being able to eat all the tofu and miso I want), that i’m allergic to both potassium sorbate, calcium disodium EDTA, and a few dozen other things, or to a natural chemical byproduct of the main ingredients that happens in the jar and takes a while to build up… I appreciate you pulling things apart like that though.Report

            • George Turner in reply to Maribou says:

              Hrm… I checked out “dangers of salad dressings” and the only allergen it mentioned was that one. “EDTA may cause allergic reactions, asthma attacks, skin rash and possible kidney damage.” Potassium sorbate, on the other hand, just seems to be toxic and mutagenic, except for people who have a potassium food allergy.

              We add a lot of anti-microbials to processed food, and my feeling is that if they kill microbes in the food, then they’re not making our good gut microbes too happy either. Westerners have unhappy flora.

              A few years ago I developed an allergy to coffee. That was devastating because coffee was most of my fluid intake. In remembrance, I rewrote an act of Hamlet into an homage to coffee.

              BTW, the weirdest allergy I’ve helped diagnose was a cold allergy. Hollywood producer Ronald D. Moore’s wife had a severe allergic reaction to something when she jumped into her swimming pool. She was trying to figure out what it was, and I said “It was the cold water.” Sure enough, out of the blue she’d become allergic to cold. Cold urticaria

              Anyway, the avocado oil mayonnaise I linked above doesn’t have any preservatives except rosemary extract. That might be just the ticket.Report

              • Maribou in reply to George Turner says:

                @george-turner Funnily enough, I don’t actually enjoy mayo (other than the homemade stuff) since I’ve always had such an adverse reaction, but I should check out the avocado oil variant! I’m allergic to really odd stuff myself – eg American cheese, sometimes touch – but cold water is a new one on me!Report

  2. We’ve been getting into grilling veggies lately and have evolved a method for corn that produces good results consistently. Shuck only the leaves that are already dry, but leave the ones that are still moist. Cut off the tips to remove the silk and cut off any excess stem. Soak for about a half an hour. Put directly on the coals turning every 30 seconds or so until the leaves are pretty black. Then put them on the grill for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are tender when stabbed with a knife.

    Depending on your tastes, you might leave them in the fire longer and get more char on the kernels or just start them on the grill to begin with – although putting them right in the fire really speeds things up.

    While you’re at it, you might put a red pepper on the coals, turning until charred all over, then putting in a covered bowl until cooled and scraping off the charred skin.

    I know this is a lot less convenient than using the canned stuff, but if you have the time and inclination it’s worth it.Report

    • Nevermoor in reply to Atomic Geography says:

      My general grilling-veggies hack (which doesn’t apply to corn, but what-the-heck-I’m-here):

      1. Cut into the size you intend to grill. (Optional: lightly salt)
      2. Start grill and let get hot, while cut veggies sit in open air
      3. When grill ready, add veggies (which have at least partially air dried) to grill, cook as normal
      4. When cooked, toss in EVOO/whatever other seasoning you want.

      That way you get the char you want, they suck up some EVOO flavor because they are dry on the outside, and you aren’t dripping away your seasonings on the grill. Works a charm for zucchini/asparagus/peppers/etc.Report

    • George Turner in reply to Atomic Geography says:

      I’ve taken a liking to Mexican corn on the cob. After it’s cooked, they roll it in a mix of butter and mayo and then sprinkle Mexican style chili powder on it (I use McCormick).Report

  3. Damon says:

    Grilled veggies: Since I’m a wimp and hate the heat and humidity, I bake/roast. Now that it’s cooling off-just waiting for the mosquitoes to die…then be grilling.

    Regardless. Chop veggies-broccoli, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes and put in roasting pan. Add rack of your preferred meat. I did swordfish for the GF this weekend, but have done tandoori chicken or pork, regular pork chops with sage, etc.

    The corn dish looks good. Ever thought about combining the smoked corn with pico? That could be a tasty snack.Report

    • Mike Dwyer in reply to Damon says:

      @damon

      I hadn’t thought of putting it in a pico. That would be good. It feels like there are a lot of uses for the smoked corn like that. We do a corn casserole (spoonbread) at Thanksgiving that might also benefit.Report

  4. Turgid Jacobian says:

    This is a bunch of the way to an “elotes salad” which sounds deliciousReport