Normally, when people think of salsa, they think of a tomato base with onions and peppers, but you can use many vegetables for a salsa base. Since it’s summer and corn is coming into season, I love this charred corn avocado salsa which ends up being a chunkier salsa, but it so good with chips or stuffed in a taco.
There are no secret ingredients to this salsa, all basic stuff, but there are a few tips and tricks to making it truly delicious. Let’s dive in!
How to make charred corn
You don’t want to cook the corn into oblivion for this recipe, but it is nice to give it some color and a bit of charred texture in spots. There are two easy ways to do this.
First, you can grill the corn! Rub the corn with a little neutral oil and preheat your grill to high heat. Add the corn and grill it for a few minutes per side until it’s nicely charred.
Second, you can broil the corn. Oil it lightly and preheat your broiler in your oven. You will want to broil it under high heat for about 5 minutes and then turn it and broil it again for a few minutes. There might be some smoke, but your corn will nicely charred.
Let the corn cool briefly before moving on with the salsa.
What are the best avocados to use for this salsa?
If I’m making guacamole, I’m on the hunt for avocados that give easily to a little thumb pressure so they can mash well.
For this salsa though, you want slightly less ripe avocados so they cube, but hold their shape a bit in the salsa.
Also, take your time dicing the avocado so the dice is pretty small. You don’t want huge chunks of avocado but instead small, stable pieces.
Other ingredients in this salsa
The other ingredients for this salsa are all raw vegetables that add some good texture and color (and a bit of heat) to the salsa.
Dice the red onions and jalapeno really finely and chop up the grape tomatoes as well.
Stir everything together nicely and you are almost in salsa business!
I like to add some cilantro to the salsa as well, but it’s optional if cilantro isn’t your favorite flavor profile.
Want more fun corn dips? Try this Street Corn Quacamole or this Elote Dip!
How to finish this salsa
This salsa just needs a few finishing touches. First, lime juice adds some brightness to it and then it needs salt. You can season it liberally with salt and I also like to add some Tajin to it. If you don’t have Tajin handy, you can leave it out.
What to serve with this corn avocado salsa
You really need nothing more than a big pile of tortilla chips for this corn avocado salsa, but here are a few other ideas!
It’s great with tacos as a fun topping that has pretty much all the great taco toppings already mixed in.
You can also try it with other crispy chips like Fritos or soft flour tortillas.
Substitutions
Here are some easy and delicious substition ideas for this salsa.
– If you want this salsa a little spicier, try serranos instead of jalapenos.
– To make it a bit creamier, you could add some cotija cheese to the salsa.
– While you have the grill on, char some poblano peppers and add those to the salsa.
Leftovers
This salsa keeps great for a few days in the fridge. The avocados will start to brown a bit after a day or two, but the salsa flavors are great even after some time in the fridge.
Charred Corn and Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 ears sweet corn, charred
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil, for corn
- 2 large avocados, slightly underripe
- ¼ large red onion, diced
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and diced
- ½ cup grape tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, minced
- 1 medium lime, juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Tajin seasoning, optional
- Tortilla Chips, for servings
Instructions
- Preheat grill to high heat or preheat your oven to broil. Rub corn lightly with oil and season with a sprinkle of salt. Add corn to grill or place under broiler for 3-4 minutes until charred. Turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove corn and let cool slightly.
- When corn is cool enough to handle, slice off kernels into a medium mixing bowl. Dice avocado into small cubes and stir into corn.
- Add red onion, tomato, jalapeno, and cilantro and stir to combine. Then add lime juice, salt, and Tajin. Stir well and taste. Adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Serve salsa with chips.
- Store leftover salsa in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Did you make this recipe?
Try this salsa out for your next summer party or just make a batch to enhance family taco night!
