Griddled Corn and Venison Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette
Backstrap seared on a grate, sweet corn and tomatoes off the same pan, and a berry dressing mixed in a bottle.
- calories
- 540
- weight
- 11 oz
- cal / oz
- 49
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Venison backstrap or tenderloin | 1.5 lb | whole section, trimmed at home |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | 1 tbsp | |
| Black pepper | 1 tbsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Ground cumin | 1/2 tsp | |
| Sweet corn kernels | 3 to 4 ears | cut off the cob at home |
| Cherry tomatoes | 1 lb | halved |
| Red onion | 1/2, diced | |
| Mixed salad greens | 6 cups | |
| Crumbled blue cheese | 4 oz | |
| Crumbled feta cheese | 4 oz | |
| Flat-leaf parsley | 1/2 cup, chopped | |
| Strawberries | 1 cup, chopped | |
| Basil leaves | 1/2 cup, chopped | |
| Extra virgin olive oil | 1/2 cup | |
| Red wine vinegar | 1/4 cup | |
| Honey | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Build a hot fire and set the grate low, or run a skillet on the grate. You want the pan hot enough that meat hisses on contact.
- Mix strawberries, basil, oil, vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt in a leakproof bottle. Shake hard. Let it sit while you cook.
- Rub the backstrap with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cumin. Sear all four sides, about 8 minutes total, until the center is still red. Pull it onto a board to rest.
- Throw the corn, tomatoes, and onion into the same hot pan. Four minutes, stirring, until the corn picks up color and the tomatoes slump. Salt it.
- Slice the rested venison thin, against the grain.
- Pile greens in bowls, spoon the hot corn mixture over, lay the meat on top, then shake the bottle again and pour. Finish with both cheeses and the parsley.
This is a car-camping dinner, not a pack meal. It leans on a cooler, a grate, and a knife, and every one of those is fine when the food rides in a truck. The point of the sequence is that the corn, tomatoes, and onion go into the pan the meat just left, so they pick up the fond instead of tasting steamed.
Rest the backstrap. Venison is lean enough that slicing it hot dumps most of the juice onto the board. Five minutes off the heat is the difference between tender and dry. The vinaigrette gets shaken in a bottle rather than whisked in a bowl because a bottle is the only clean way to emulsify oil and vinegar on a picnic table, and the sugar in the strawberries and honey does the work of holding it together.
Packing
Cut corn off the cob, halve the tomatoes, dice the onion, and chop the parsley at home. Everything except the greens rides in the cooler in one flat container. The dressing bottle doubles as the mixing vessel, so nothing extra gets dirty.
Variations
- No venison in the freezer: a flank steak or two thick pork chops cook the same way.
- Skip the cheese and the whole thing turns into a cooler-friendly dinner that keeps a day longer.
- Frozen corn works and thaws in the cooler on the drive in.
https://realtree.com/timber-2-table-wild-game-recipes/sweet-corn-and-backstrap-summer-salad-with-strawberry-vinaigrette