Even though we’ve got a pile of produce on the counter, I feel bad that we don’t eat enough corn-on-the-cob when it is in season. I don’t grow it, and it comes at a time when I’m focused on eating the garden.
I haven’t made it to the farmer’s market to buy it from a farmer, although I did get some from the co-op and froze half of it. Yesterday, when I saw some gorgeous local corn at the grocery store, I bought it, along with some salmon that was on sale. I came home and put “corn and salmon” in the Epicurious search engine. I did have a requirement: the recipe had to use at least three garden ingredients.
Most of the recipe
s were soup/chowders, and as it was 90 degrees and humid, I was thinking “grill,” not “soup.” So when I saw a recipe for salmon grilled in corn husks, I was intrigued. And when it said “serve with tomatillo salsa,” I was all over it. I also used garlic, shallots, oregano and a poblano pepper from the garden. It was not at all spicy; the addition of a diced jalapeno or serrano pepper might have helped with that. I didn’t mind, because this allowed the flavor of the salmon and corn to come to the fore.
The problem is that it was complicated. I read the comments, which said the labor-intensive part was making the rub, a ground chili, salt and garlic thing. One woman said she just used some chipotle in adobo sauce and moved on. My kind of cook.
So here is my highly adapted version of the recipe, which was incredibly flavorful and delicious. As for wrapping in corn husks, I had to call Steve to hold the packets closed while I tied the string (the recipe says use pieces of husk to tie it– yeah, right). And I put them on a piece of foil on the grill, which worked great and avoided flare-ups. I put the fourth filet in foil, not husks, piled with the rest of the corn salsa, which meant plenty of salsa to top the dish. The tomatillo/green salsa added a lot to the dish, though I served it on the side.
Grilled Salmon in Corn Husks
2 ears corn (plus more for a side dish)a few Tbs butter
1 lb salmon, cut into four pieces
4 chopped epazote leaves (I didn’t have this)
1-2 garlic cloves
thinly sliced/diced scallions, shallots or mild onion
1 fresh poblano pepper, diced
1 Tbs adobo sauce from can of chipotle peppers in adobo (and pepper if you want it hot)
1 tsp fresh or dried oregano
1/4 cup (or less) vegetable oil
1 lime
kitchen string
serve with green salsa (tomatillo salsa)
Shuck corn, reserving largest outer husks for wrapping salmon. Grill corn, turning frequently, until browned (not blackened) all over, about 12 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut kernels from cob and stir together in a bowl with adobo sauce and butter. Add oregano, scallions, diced pepper and vegetable oil to the bowl and mix.
On a work surface, arrange husks side by side, overlapping long sides. Arrange a salmon piece in the center and top with corn mixture and epazote leaf. Fold leaves over filling and tie with kitchen string. You can also just wrap the salmon topped with corn mixture with foil.
Grill packages on medium heat (I put them on a sheet of foil to avoid flare-ups). Depending on thickness, the salmon will cook in 10-12 minutes.
Serve contents of salmon packages (with lime juice squeezed on top if you want) over rice with salsa. If you buy some extra corn and grill it with the packets, all the better!