Grilled Corn with Avocados and Cilantro Pesto
This grilled corn recipe is one of countless reasons why corn off the cob deserves just as much attention as corn on the cob. While the grill heats up, I quickly make cilantro pesto with pumpkin seeds and lime juice. Then I stir pesto and corn with avocados.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1-1/2 cups packed cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 4 ears corn
- 2 avocados, diced
Instructions
- Preheat a gas or charcoal grill on high heat.
- To make the pesto, put the garlic, cilantro leaves, pumpkin seeds, lime juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup olive oil in a food processor. Puree until smooth.
- Rub the corn with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Grill, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, about 5-7 minutes. Let the corn cool slightly before slicing the kernels off the cobs and transferring the corn to a large bowl.
- Stir the pesto and avocados into the corn.
Notes
If you don’t like cilantro, you can use parsley instead. Then substitute a lemon for the lime.
You can use chopped toasted walnuts if you don't have pumpkin seeds.
How to roast the corn:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the kernels off the ears of corn and toss them with 2 teaspoons olive oil and spread them across 2 sheet pans. Roast the corn for 25-30 minutes until it is golden, crisp and lightly browned at the edges. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. The avocado will brown on the edges, but this shouldn’t impact the taste. You can eat leftovers cold and add greens to treat them like a salad. Or allow time for leftovers to sit out at room temperature, so they aren’t as cold. Optional Additions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the kernels off the ears of corn and toss them with 2 teaspoons olive oil and spread them across 2 sheet pans. Roast the corn for 25-30 minutes until it is golden, crisp and lightly browned at the edges. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. The avocado will brown on the edges, but this shouldn’t impact the taste. You can eat leftovers cold and add greens to treat them like a salad. Or allow time for leftovers to sit out at room temperature, so they aren’t as cold. Optional Additions
- Cooked grains: pearl couscous, farro, barley or brown rice
- Lettuce: baby spinach or chopped romaine.
- Beans: canned black beans or white beans.
Nutrition
Calories: 388kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 606mg | Potassium: 821mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 730IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg