This Sweet and Spicy Grilled Salmon with Charred Corn Salsa is sure to become a favorite!
You'll want to use the sweet and spicy rub on all sorts of grilled food and the charred corn salsa goes with everything!
I love finding older cookbooks in used bookstores. So, when I stumbled upon Bobby Flay's Boy Meets Grill, I didn't hesitate to pick it up.
I love grilling cookbooks because they almost always contain excellent marinades and rubs and various salsas and side dishes to serve with whatever you've grilled.
Like this Sweet and Spicy Grilled Salmon with Charred Corn Salsa. The rub is so versatile, I love it on salmon and on chicken! The corn salsa has become a family favorite. I use it as a salsa with shrimp tacos and it can also double as a side dish!
Ingredients.
Sweet and spicy rub.
- Ancho chile powder - ancho chile powder is made from one pepper, whereas regular chile powder is made for a blend. So substituting one for one, will not give you the same flavor, but you can do it in a pinch.
- Cumin.
- Brown sugar.
- Cinnamon.
- Olive oil.
Charred corn salsa.
- Corn - you want corn on the cob so that you can char it on the grill. If you have corn off the cob, you'll need to use a cast iron skillet on the grill.
- Lime juice - fresh squeezed.
- Jalapeño pepper.
- Honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Green onions and cilantro.
Instructions.
Begin by preheating the grill.
To make the corn salsa, first blanch the corn in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Grill, turning, until charred on all sides, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you could grill it the whole time, for about 8 minutes total.
Using a knife, cut the kernels off of the corn into a bowl. You can whisk together the lime juice, honey, and jalapeño in a bowl and slowly whisk in the olive oil. Or you can do what I usually do, which is add all the ingredients into a lidded mason jar and shake to emulsify.
Pour the dressing over the corn, add the onions and cilantro, toss to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Mix all of the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Brush the salmon with the olive oil and spread about 1 tablespoon of the rub on one side. If your filets are smaller, you may not need as much rub.
Grill the salmon rub side down for a couple of minutes, then turn and grill for about 3-4 more minutes or until the salmon is done to your liking.
Serve the salmon with the corn salsa.
This was so good and so easy! You'll probably have some rub left over. It is great on chicken too!
The salmon is sweet and a little spicy, depending on how hot your ancho chile powder was. If you want it a little hotter, you could add a little cayenne pepper.
The corn salsa will get its heat from the jalapeño. If you want it mild, remove the seeds and the membrane, if you want it a little hotter, leave in the seeds and membrane.
More easy salmon recipes.
Recipe.
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Sweet and Spicy Grilled Salmon with Charred Corn Salsa
Ingredients
Red Chile Rub
- ½ cup ancho chile powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Olive oil
- 4 6 ounce salmon steaks
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium high.
- To make the charred corn salsa, first blanch the corn in a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes. Then place on the grill, turning often, until slightly charred, about 2 minutes. Remove from the grill and use a knife to scrape the kernels off into a bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, honey and jalapeno. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the corn, season with salt and pepper, add the onions and cilantro and toss to combine. Let the flavors mingle, while you prepare the salmon
- Combine the chile powder, cumin, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the salmon with the olive oil and spread 1 tablespoon of the rub on one side and season with salt and pepper. Grill rub side down for about 2 to 3 minutes, turn over and grill for about 3-4 more minutes.
- Serve each salmon filet topped with some of the corn vinaigrette.
Notes
Nutrition
This was originally published in 2016 and has been updated for 2023.
Alison's Allspice says
I love that toasted corn vinaigrette! Perfect for the spicy salmon, yum! Pinned for later, Thanks!
Tina Culbertson says
I think that rub sounds amazing. We are picking up salmon tonight so I may give this a try. Don't have the chili though but I can substitute. You can't have too many cookbooks!
Lots of my books have been donated too. The Kindle and the Kindle app on my tablet are my favored way to read but I still have lots of hardcover books. It's good to pass some on to others who will enjoy them.
Ann says
I have donated all but a handful of cookbooks. Mostly I surf the interwebs for recipes the days. We spell the fiery pepper chilli and the country Chile. True story.
Sandee says
Oh yummy on the salmon. i don't know about the cinnamon though. l Just saying.
Hubby has a Kindle but I'm still reading books. We have tons of books. Old books, and tons of cookbooks with everything imaginable. We could probably fill the two bookcases we have with just the cookbooks.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Sandi (@fearless_dining) says
My teen has at least 100 paperback books in her room...wish she would read on a Kindle or Nook. She is running out of room in in her room 🙂
Jennifer A Stewart says
I have a large cookbook collection but I got mine from a mail order book club about 12 years ago. I would never give them up. I love getting inspiration from them! Plus the stories are amazing! The older ones especially! I love the heat in this salmon dish and I know it will be perfect for grilling this summer!
swathiiyer says
That salmon and corn sounds delicious meal, thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop, pinning
Michele says
I have that cookbook too.... how have I missed the roasted corn vinegarette recipe? It sounds like it would work with all sorts of things yummy! I love used bookstores too.... Found a great one a couple of years ago on a weekend vacation In Portland Or~~~ it is 4 stories high and is a whole block.... If you ever get to Portland, plan on a whole day there.... Its called Powell's!
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
I am the same way with books, I never know if or when I will use them so I just hoard them. But good things come from that, like this salmon! Wow, that chile rub and toasted corn!! So good!
jane @ littlesugarsnaps says
Big mistake to look at your recipes when I'm hungry Pam (Pamela!!!) - they always intensify my need for food. My man would love this too as those chilli additions are right up his street. I've spent the last few years reading some of my childhood classics to my oldest daughter - mine come with fancy stick in labels on which I have my full maiden name written in my neatest writing of 30ish years ago. Oh and my last visit to my parents I 'borrowed' a book dating back to my Dad's childhood with the intention it starring in a foodie photo. Book maniac alert.
Miz Helen says
This would be a delicious meal that I would just love! Hope you have a very special Fathers Day Weekend and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Come Back Soon!
Miz Helen
Tracy says
I'm so with you and cookbooks! I have sooo many that I haven't opened in so long but I can't imagine getting rid of them! I may need them! I love love love this dish- it looks amazing!
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake says
This salmon looks sooooo yummy, I only recently started eating salmon so I'm always looking for good recipes to try - bookmarking this one!
I don't actually own a lot of cookbooks, I have a few but I rarely use them. I guess I am a product of the digital age, I always turn to the net for recipes!
Ann says
Last year I rationalised my cook books, keeping just the ones I use regularly or whose beautiful photography brings me pleasure. Your salmon and corn dish looks fun as well as tasty.
Louise says
Hi Pam,
People ask me all the time whether I use all of my cookbooks. When I tell them no and usually add in "I rarely cook," lol, it really sends them in a whirl! I guess it gets to a point that when you have more than a couple of hundred, or even thousands, you become a collector and then people stop asking, we'll see one day, lol...
I'm really liking this Salmon recipe but it's the Toasted Corn Vinaigrette that has me excited. I've been buying Trader Joe's roasted corn lately and I love it. It's about time I try to make my own version, or in this case yours and Bobby Flay's.
Thanks so much for sharing, Pam...