In my Sauced column, I just tried my hand at making my first sweet cucumber relish, which left my brain swarming with other relish ideas. Given all the ingredients in this roasted corn relish, it should really only be loosely defined as a "relish."
I gave as many ingredients as possible the grilled treatment, taking buttered and seasoned corn, green onions, a jalapeno, and a red pepper to the flames. Once all nicely browned, they were chopped and combined with cilantro, lime zest, chili powder, and cumin, followed by lime juice and a little sugar.
I loved how it all came together. The first taste was of sweet and tangy corn, but the sweetness slowly faded, giving way to the heat from the jalapeno and an earthiness from the chili powder and cumin.
The "relish" can double as a dip for tortilla chips, salad topping, or taco condiment—it'll add excellent flavor to whatever it touches.
Light one chimney full of charcoal. While the charcoal is lighting, lightly butter each ear of corn, then season with salt and pepper. Wrap each ear in aluminum foil.
When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place the corn, red pepper, and jalapeno on the grill and cover. Grill red pepper and jalapeno until they start to blister, but not blacken, on each side. Grill corn until it's lightly charred all over. Remove pepper, jalapeno, and corn to a cutting board as they are done.
Brush green onions lightly with oil and place on the grill. Cook until softened and lightly browned on both sides. Remove to cutting board.
In a medium bowl, cut kernels off each ear of corn. Seed jalapeno and red pepper, then dice and add into bowl with corn. Thinly slice green onions and add into bowl with corn and peppers along with cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, sugar, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.