Striking the balance between sweet and smokey flavours, this colourful salad makes the perfect side dish for summer BBQs. Alternatively you could liven up your lunch by serving this salad straight up, or alongside beautifully grilled white fish.
Ingredients (serves up to 4 as a side dish, or 2 as a main):
- 1 Nice Rice Chipotle rice pouch
- 2 corn on the cob (rinsed and prepped)
- 1 small pineapple (trimmed and cut into thick round slices)
- Half a red onion (peeled and finely diced)
- 1 small green chilli (Mostly chopped, reserving a few thin slices to garnish - deseed if you prefer)
- Half a small block of feta cheese
- 1 lime (zest and juice)
- A handful of fresh coriander (roughly chopped, reserving a couple of sprigs to garnish)
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Flaked sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Set a large cast iron pan or griddle over a high heat and brush lightly with oil (you could also do this step on the BBQ, if the weather allows!)
2. Rinse the cobs of corn and dry thoroughly. Top and tail the pineapple so you have a solid base for carving, then carefully run the knife down each side to remove the rind. Chop into chunky rounds.
3. Once the pan is smoking hot, add the cobs of corn. Rotate every couple of minutes until evenly charred on all sides (around 8-10 minutes total), then set aside to cool slightly. Next add the pineapple slices and leave patiently to char on one side for 4-5 minutes. Carefully turn with tongs and repeat on the other side. Once lightly blackened and caramelised on both sides, set aside with the corn to cool enough to handle.
4. Meanwhile, finely dice the red onion and small green chilli. Roughly chop the coriander and set aside. If the corn and pineapple are cool enough to handle, dice the pineapple into small bite-sized pieces, removing the tough core as you go. Stand the cobs of corn on one end, then carefully run the knife down the sides to remove the kernels. Take your time, keeping as close to the core as possible, rotating the cob as you go until all of the kernels are removed.
5. Take your Chipotle rice and squeeze the pouch to separate the grains. Tear a 2cm opening at the top of the pouch, then cook on full power in the microwave for 90 seconds until piping hot. Leave to stand for a minute before opening fully.
6. Whilst the rice is reheating, combine the pineapple, corn, onion, chilli and coriander in a small bowl. Finely grate in the lime zest and squeeze in the juice. Add a glug of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and cracked black pepper. Mix well to coat the salsa.
7. Tip the rice into a serving dish, then top with the corn and pineapple salsa. Crumble over the feta, then grate over a little extra lime zest before sprinkling the remaining coriander and chilli.
Now it’s time to tuck in to some changemaking grains - enjoy!