Corn and Pickles in the same bite…….who knew??
My brother Jake used to order an Israeli corn salad at this kosher restaurant in LA all the time. ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes it was just an extra large take out order! So it was that my son came to love that corn salad which we affectionately called “Jake Salad” in our home.
Originally, I tried to make my version of Jake Salad as close as possible to the restaurant version. Over the years, the salad morphed into something that likely is farther and farther away from the original corn salad, and I never wrote down my recipe so I can’t tell how far it’s come, but the gist of it is the same……..corn and pickles…..because CORN and PICKLES, in the same bite…..who knew? Yup, corn and pickles are the must haves in this salad and the rest is open for debate.
A healthier Israeli Corn Salad
I’m clear that at some point I purposely omitted the mayo and when the kids asked why the Jake Salad tasted different I lied and said I didn’t know!! One day Mayo just rode off into the sunset from our home and never returned. Sorry Mayo, but you haven’t actually been missed, and, in fact, you’ve been replaced by various tasty alternatives that don’t contribute to inflammation and obesity.
When we were in Israel, I was delighted to find Jake Salad on the breakfast buffet in most major hotels. The corn salad in Israel varies from place to place, but there are always pickles and always corn. We usually have this as a side to dinner, but I’ve enjoyed the left overs for breakfast and lunch many a day. The pickles pack such a distinct flavorful punch that I find my mouth starts to water with the mention of Jake Salad.
While the original Jake Salad did have corn, it came straight from a can. This time of year, when fresh corn is plentiful and oh so sweet, it makes no sense not to use it here. I find that grilling corn brings out it’s sweetness, and the added bonus is that you don’t have to heat up your house while cooking it!! During the winter months, when fresh corn isn’t available, I have used frozen, which is picked at its peak and flash frozen to preserve the quality and flavor. Once in awhile I will “toast” the defrosted corn kernels in a dry skillet to char the outsides, but often (read: I’m in a hurry) I just rinse the frozen corn in water, shake it dry and throw it into the mix! Couldn’t be any easier.
So, even though I’ve done away with the mayo and the canned corn, I think I’ve kept the integrity of the original by keeping the majority of the ingredients the same: pickles, red peppers, corn, shallots……..Summer in a bowl!
Israeli Corn + Pickle Salad
Sweet with just enough tang to make your mouth water.
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 ears corn
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ⅓ cup diced dill pickles (see note below)
- 1 red pepper
- 2 shallots
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
Instructions
Directions:
- Preheat gas or charcoal grill.
- Shuck corn and brush oil evenly on each ear, just enough so it doesn’t stick on the grille. Grill about 4 minutes and then roll to another surface until all sides have grill marks.
- Meanwhile, drain pickles on paper towels. This is a VERY important step because the pickles will continue to give off juice, and the salad will be soggy if the pickles aren’t drained before chopping.
- Prepare veggies: chop the red peppers and shallots into small dice and place in medium sized bowl. When the pickles are dry, dice them as well and add to the bowl. When corn has finished grilling, slice the kernels off the cob and add to the bowl.
- Drizzle pepper onto salad and mix well.
Notes
CORN: No time to grill fresh corn? No problem! Thaw 1 ½ cups frozen corn. If you have a bag of fire roasted frozen corn even better. Either way, it will be DELISH.
PICKLES: must be drained on paper towels before dicing. If not, they will make your salad too liquidy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 57Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 155mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 2g
The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.
Tirtza
This is my original recipe.
Many years ago I came up with it and my sister-in-law had a caterer friend who liked it and started adding it to her menus.
Later it became a standard all over Israel.
Why do you write such nonsense about mayonnaise?
Mayonnaise, like any fatty food, can lead to obesity and, well, inflammation is different for different people. Some people get inflammation of the linings of their blood vessels leading to arteriosclerosis, some people get inflammation of the linings of the joints, causing arthritis. People get inflammation from all sorts of things and it is unlikely that a little bit of mayonnaise is the cause of it. Still, point well made, the salad can work just as well, even better maybe without the mayo.
I used green onions, not shallots, It requires a bit of vinegar and then a bit of oil (your preference).
That is way-way too many pickles.
The original calls for a lot less, and if you are worrying about a little mayo you should worry a lot more about all that salt in the pickles.
Why make it difficult? a grind or two of plain old black pepper and a dash of pipil harif will work just as well and are easier to find than the white pepper.
But I am sure your salad is delicious….B’Tayavon
Debra Klein
One of the beauties of this salad is how easy it is to customize to your tastes and dietary needs. Less pickles, black pepper instead of white? It’s all good. Enjoy!