Grilled Zucchini and Corn Salad

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• Cutting the zucchini into thick planks exposes plenty of surface area to the hot grill grates, encouraging deep browning while keeping the centers tender and juicy.
• Grilling the lemon caramelizes its natural sugars and mellows its sharp acidity, while the tangy vinaigrette and fresh herbs balance the sweet corn and salty, rich halloumi.

At the height of summer, zucchini and corn are everywhere, and a blazing-hot grill is one of the best ways to turn them into a memorable side dish. The corn turns sweet and blistered in spots, while thick planks of zucchini pick up flavorful char-grill marks and stay juicy and tender inside. Add salty, chewy halloumi, crunchy sunflower seeds, and a generous handful of fresh herbs, and you get a hearty summer salad with plenty of texture. A tangy red wine vinaigrette made with Dijon and either hot pepper jelly or hot honey adds sharpness, sweetness, and a gentle kick of heat.

The challenge with grilling several ingredients for one salad is getting everything properly browned without letting anything overcook or become too soft. Craig Ruff in our Birmingham, Alabama, test kitchen, found that the solution is to stagger when each ingredient goes on the grill based on how how long it needs to cook. The corn goes on first, giving it enough time to become sweet, spotty brown, and lightly charred all over. The zucchini and halloumi cook much more quickly, so they go on later.

Zucchini can easily turn mushy and be hard to flip on the grill, but cutting it lengthwise into thick planks solves both problems: The extra thickness helps the centers stay tender and juicy, while the broad, flat surfaces make the zucchini easy to maneuver and encourage good browning. Craig also skips pre-salting the zucchini, which can draw out too much moisture. Instead, he seasons it after grilling so it stays plump and juicy as the exterior browns. 

Rather than cutting the haloumi into small pieces before grilling it, Craig simply slices the block horizontally, which makes it easier to flip without losing any through the grates. It needs only a few minutes per side to develop a crisp, golden exterior while remaining pleasantly springy inside.

Once the vegetables are grilled, you’ll cut the corn from the cob and slice the zucchini and haloumi into bite-size pieces before assembling the salad. Fresh basil, mint, dill, or any combination of the three adds a fragrant, grassy flavor, while roasted sunflower seeds bring a salty crunch. With sweet corn, smoky zucchini, rich halloumi, fresh herbs, and a punchy sweet-and-tangy dressing, the salad is substantial enough to stand on its own but works just as well alongside grilled chicken, fish, steak, or vegetarian mains.

This recipe was developed by Craig Ruff; the headnote was written by Laila Ibrahim.

Prep Time:

25 mins

Cook Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

40 mins

Servings:

6 to 8

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot from 1 small shallot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons hot pepper jelly or hot honey
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided; for table salt, use half as much by volume or the same weight
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 medium ears corn (2 pounds, 908 g total), shucked
• 1 (8.8-ounce; 250 g) package halloumi cheese, halved horizontally and patted dry
• 3 zucchini (8 ounces, 226 g each), trimmed and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick planks
• 1 medium lemon, halved crosswise
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce, 30 g) dry-roasted, salted sunflower seed kernels
• 1/4 cup (1/4 ounce; 7 g) chopped fresh herbs such as basil, mint, and/or dill

Directions

1. For a Charcoal Grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled 3/4 with charcoal briquettes (4 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over bottom of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.For a Gas Grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and preheat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high.
2. While the grill heats, in a small bowl, whisk together vinegar and shallot; let sit until shallot begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add mustard, pepper jelly or hot honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and whisk until smooth. Slowly drizzle in 1/4 cup oil, whisking constantly, until fully incorporated. Set dressing aside.
3. Clean and oil cooking grate. Brush corn and halloumi with 2 tablespoons oil. Place corn on oiled grill grates and grill, uncovered, turning occasionally, until spotty brown on all sides, about 10 minutes; transfer to a large plate.
4. Brush zucchini with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Grill zucchini, cut sides down, and halloumi until zucchini is well browned on both sides and tender and halloumi has grill marks, 6 to 10 minutes for the zucchini and 4 to 6 minutes for the halloumi; transfer to plate with corn as they finish cooking. Grill lemon, cut-sides down, until charred, about 2 minutes.
5. Once cool enough to handle, transfer zucchini, corn, and halloumi to a cutting board, working with one ingredient at a time. Cut zucchini crosswise on a diagonal into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl. Cut halloumi into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to bowl with zucchini. Cut corn kernels from cobs and transfer to bowl with zucchini; discard cobs.
6. Add sunflower seeds, herbs, 1/4 cup dressing, remaining 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and toss to combine. Transfer to a large platter. Drizzle with remaining 3 tablespoons dressing and squeeze grilled lemon over top. Serve.

Special Equipment

Charcoal or gas grill, large chimney starter (if using charcoal grill)

Make-Ahead and Storage

Dressing can be made up to 4 days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container.

 Leftover salad can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.