Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad with Shrimp and Kale Pistachio Pesto

Say hello to the summeriest meal EVER. We’ve got grilled corn (YUM), shaved zucchini ribbons, shrimp, and the most delicious kale pistachio pesto! This is the best pesto I’ve ever made and I’ve made A TONNN of different pestos over the years. It’s so incredibly delicious and you can’t even taste the kale.

If you think you don’t like kale, you need to try this pesto. It is incredible. One, you can’t taste the kale, and two, PISTACHIOS. My favorite nut ever! And parm doesn’t hurt either. My favorite pestos have a mixture of basil and Italian flat leaf parsley, and this one has just that.

You can eat this pesto throughout the week on toast, mixed into eggs, spread on grilled chicken, on sandwiches, pizza, the options are endless. Or you can freeze it! Pesto freezes super well.

If you’ve never shaved fresh zucchini into ribbons, you have to try! All you need is a vegetable peeler. It looks super fancy, but it’s SO easy. And gorgeous! This salad is so refreshing and it’s delicious cold or at room temp!

My favorite part of this, after the pesto, has to be the grilled corn. I freaking love grilled corn and look forward to it every summer. I add it to salads mostly, but I also love adding it to salsas, and just eating it straight up.

When I was younger, my mom used to make this grilled corn slathered in mayo (yes, mayo), and Old Bay. It might sound gross to you but it’s SO GOOD.

Shrimp is also one of my all time favorite foods, but this could be made with salmon, chicken, or your favorite fish! It would also be delish with marinated chickpeas if you want a veg version!

What are your fave summer ingredients?!

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Grilled Corn and Zucchini Salad with Shrimp and Kale Pistachio Pesto

This grilled corn and zucchini salad is SO summery and easy to prepare! It's topped with lemony shrimp and a super flavorful kale pistachio pesto!

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 2

Author Molly | Spices in My DNA

Ingredients

For the salad

• 3 ears corn, grilled
• 2 medium/large zucchini
• 1/2 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• zest of ½ a lemon
• squeeze of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• extra chopped basil for serving

For the pesto

• 1 cup packed fresh basil
• 1 cup chopped packed kale (I used lacinato/tuscan/dinosaur kale)
• 1/2 cup packed flat leaf parsley
• juice of ½ a lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/3 cup shelled salted roasted pistachios
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Make the pesto. Add basil, kale, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, pistachios, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until mixture is finely chopped. With the processor running, stream in the olive oil and purée until smooth. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper if needed.

2. Shave the zucchini into ribbons using a vegetable peeler, stopping once you get to the seedier "core". I save this part to sauté or roast or freeze for smoothies! Add zucchini ribbons to a medium bowl.

3. Add shrimp to a medium bowl and add lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Heat a skillet to medium/high heat and add the shrimp. Cook for a minute or two per side, depending on the size of your shrimp. Once finished cooking, add a spoonful of pesto and toss to coat. Remove from heat.

4. Add the grilled corn to the zucchini as well as a few tablespoons of pesto. Toss to combine. Serve with the shrimp and extra pesto and chopped basil for serving!