Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad08 / 10 / 15

Our baby camping grill is starting to fade on us.

Probably because we’ve been using it every other day. One of the burners is not lighting correctly and it desperately needs a deep clean, and really, camping grills aren’t meant to be outside 24/7. I wanted to get Jason a new, more legit grill for Father’s Day this year, but there were too many options and I got overwhelmed and got him this instead.

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

But that hasn’t stopped me from planning delicious things to grill, and then lovingly bringing Jason a beer as he fights with our piece-of-junk glorified camp stove. In addition to beer, I always come with vegetables, sometimes meat, and most definitely a smile that says “we are a perfectly progressive couple but we still split our duties by stereotypical gender roles so thank you for grilling, dear.” 

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

If you’ve never had grilled romaine before, you must, and I mean must, get some and throw it on your grill immediately. I’m not saying grilling lettuce will change your life, but okay maybe I think it just might.

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

This salad layers it on thick: on top of your grilled romaine you’ve got fresh heirloom tomatoes sliced thinly, some beautifully charred corn mixed with grilled fennel and marinated in a honey vinaigrette. And on top of all that: slivers of Parmesan cheese to add a little creaminess and saltiness.

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

Most nights, I’m all about salads being thrown together from whatever vegetables are lurking in our refrigerator. But there are occasions when a more composed salad feels like just the right choice for balancing out a heavier protein. Let this be in your rotation for those nights.

Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad | Things I Made Today

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Grilled Romaine, Charred Corn, Tomato, and Fennel Salad
Author: 
Recipe type: Salad
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4
 
Ingredients
For the dressing:
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon salt
For the vegetables:
  • 1 large head of romaine lettuce, cleaned and cut in half lengthwise (make sure there is some stem remaining on both halves so it holds together)
  • Olive oil for drizzling
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 ears of corn, shucked
  • 1 small fennel bulb, fronds trimmed (and reserved) and cut in half lengthwise
  • 3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds
  • ⅓ cup shaved Parmesan
Instructions
Prepare the dressing:
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Prepare your vegetables:
  1. Heat your grill to medium high.
  2. Place romaine, corn, and fennel on a baking dish in a single layer. Drizzle generously with olive oil and salt.
  3. Add corn and fennel to the grill and cook until corn is slightly charred and fennel is tender. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Cut corn off the cob and slice fennel into long strips. Mix together in a bowl and top with dressing. Set aside until ready to assemble salad.
  4. Place romaine, cut side down, on the grill directly over the fire. Cook until leaves start to char slightly, about 2 minutes. Flip lettuce and cook for 2 more minutes, until the outer leaves are wilted but the stem still has some crunch to it. Transfer to a platter. (You can separate the leaves a little bit if you'd like.)
  5. Top romaine with sliced tomatoes, corn and fennel mixture, and shaved Parmesan. Sprinkle some fennel fronds on top as garnish.

 

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