Corn Salsa recipe that’s super easy to make and delicious! Using canned corn and other ingredients you probably already have on hand, this is the quickest salsa recipe but also the most flavorful! Plus all about my Iowa Corn Quest trip! (Thanks to Iowa Corn for sponsoring this post! As always, all opinions are my own.)
I’ve always been a huge corn lover. It’s one of my very favorite vegetables! It’s also a favorite of my boys. It is one of the most versatile vegetables because it can seamlessly be added into all sorts of dishes, savory and sweet. For example, it can make the tastiest addition to corn muffins or corn cake but also be popped into kettle popcorn or made into tortillas. Seriously, the list is endless!
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of being invited on a trip to Iowa to learn all about Iowa Corn! I’ve actually been to Iowa before, last year on the Pass the Pork Tour. I was really excited to go again because I loved it the last time I was there.
Myself and 9 other bloggers flew into Moline, Iowa and then drove over to Davenport. We stayed at Hotel Blackhawk, which had just recently been renovated. Rumors have it that Cary Grant haunts the 8th floor because the Blackhawk hotel is where he passed away. Guess who was staying on the 8th floor? Me! Fortunately I had no run-ins with a ghost Cary Grant while I was there. 😉 The hotel was very accommodating and I loved that they had a bowling alley in the basement!
The first night we were there, we got to ride a cute trolley over to the Mississippi River Distilling Company. During a yummy dinner, we learned about corn ethanol production and how it compares to other fuels. I knew so little about this so I was really fascinated. We also got to see how the distillery worked and what the uses were for the distilled products which was very cool. Corn is used in so many different ways!
For breakfast the next day, we met in one of the Hotel Blackhawk conference rooms. We chatted with The American Lung Association, Iowa Corn and Annette, a local corn farmer. Annette was hilarious and had us all in stitches with her stories! She took over her father’s farm after he passed away unexpectedly. It wasn’t an easy journey because women on the farm weren’t the norm then, even though they were always in the background and a huge part of a farms success. She’s been a role model for women farmers everywhere. We heard about different benefits that come from corn production as well.
After breakfast, we got on a big party bus and headed to Whisk Away Café in DeWitt. The owner, Laura taught us many different ways that corn can be integrated into cooking. We made several different recipes including sausage and grits, scalloped corn, yummy dessert tamales and chicken posole verde (which I’ll be sharing with you soon!).
While we were eating our yummy recipes, we heard from Dr. Ruth McDonald, a Professor and Chair at Iowa State University. She talked to us about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). I have to admit that I didn’t know much about GMO’s so hearing from Ruth definitely helped my understanding of why GMOs are used in agriculture.
After lunch at the cafe, we hopped on the bus and drove to a corn farm. We got to ride in a combine and talk one on one with the farm’s owner and his family. It’s amazing to see the dedication and love these farmers have for their farms. So much time involved in getting the crops up and then harvesting them. It’s truly amazing.
After the farm tour, we headed out to the Gallagher’s farm, who hosted us for a tailgate dinner. I’ve never had better ham and homemade french fries! Literally I ate my weight in french fries that night, ha!
The next day, we headed to the John Deere Pavilion to see all the tractors and then headed to Kent, a Grain Processing Center. Corn is grown on the field but how does it make it’s way from the farm to our homes? We learned all about that at Kent. My mind was exploding with all the information on how corn is processed into ingredients and materials for food and non-food items. Kent is one of the leading manufacturers and worldwide marketers of corn-based products. Very cool.
We wrapped up our trip with a yummy lunch at Machine Shed Restaurant where I enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich that I still dream about. 🙂 I had such a great time learning all about corn. I’m very grateful I was able to be a part of the Corn Quest!
Now, it’s time to share this corn salsa recipe with you! This isn’t a recipe we ate while we were on the Corn Quest, but it’s absolutely delicious and versatile. I used canned corn, which I always have on hand, to make it super simple. The other ingredients are ones I usually have on hand, which makes this so easy. You can serve this corn salsa as an appetizer with chips or you can spoon over salmon, chicken or really any protein. Enjoy!
Easy Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 15.25-oz cans sweet corn, drained
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/2 red onion finely diced
- 3 green onions diced
- 1-2 jalapeños diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- juice from 1 small key lime
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Taste and add more seasonings as needed. Serve with chips or over chicken, fish, etc. Enjoy!
Check out this awesome video recap from Iowa Corn!
This post is sponsored by the Iowa Corn Organization. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.)
So many of my favorite faces here!!! What a great trip!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Gina!!!! xoxo!
Corn salsa is probably my favorite kind of salsa. Thanks for sharing and thanks for joining us in Iowa!
My love for Corn never dies 😀
A simple and sweet recipe!