Grilled Corn-and-Butter Bean Salad—love it, love it!

When I saw the recipe for Grilled Corn-and-Butterbean Salad, I had to try it because of my Aunt Frances’ stories about canning butter beans from her victory garden during World War II.

In my cookbook, Way Back in the Country Garden, I share Aunt Frances’s recollections about working for hours alongside her friend Olive as they put up vast amounts of fresh butter beans from the garden Uncle Herbert planted. 

I’m not sure how many helpings of butter beans I’ve consumed in my lifetime; we certainly never have planted any to grow in our garden. But the recipe said using frozen ones would be OK, so Hubby picked some up from the store for me and I plowed ahead. I had the requisite corn left over from the Mexican-Style Grilled Corn that I blogged about last week.

This was a most unusual and enjoyable salad that got better as it aged. (No wonder the recipe said you could store it in the refrigerator up to three days. At three days of life it was still going strong in terms of flavor.)

Red onion, red bell pepper, chopped fresh basil, and halved grape tomatoes are some other infusions of freshness that made this little stir-up spring alive. The magazine featured this as a side dish for a fish fry. We served it as a main course with only a side of roasted potatoes added.

Grilled Corn-and-Butter Bean Salad

1 (16-ounce) package frozen butter beans (can also use fresh butter beans)

4 ears fresh corn, husks removed

1 large red onion, cut into thick slices

1 large red bell pepper, cut into thick rings

3/4 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

1 garlic clove, pressed

1 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 cup halved grape tomatoes

Cook butter beans according to package directions; drain and cool completely (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile preheat grill to 350 to 400 degrees (medium-high) heat. Grill corn, covered with grill lid, 15 minutes or until done. Turn every 4 to 5 minutes. At the same time grill onion and bell pepper, covered with grill lid, 5 minutes on each side or until tender. Cool all vegetables completely (about 20 minutes). Cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs. Chop onion and bell pepper into 1/2-inch pieces. Stir together mayonnaise and next 5 ingredients. Stir in tomatoes, corn kernels, and onion and pepper pieces. Add salt or salt substitute to taste. Cover and chill 2 to 8 hours before you serve. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days. Makes 8 to 10 servings. (Source: Southern Living July 2012)