Sausage with Corn and Chili Salsa
Spicy sausage over the fire with a cold corn salsa mixed in the bag.
- calories
- 660
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 73
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 15 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 20 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
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chili or spiced sausage | 8 links | fully cooked links keep better in a cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Canned corn | 2 cans | drained; whole kernel, or cut from grilled cobs if you have them |
| Scallions | 4 | they survive a week loose in the cooler |
| Green chili or jalapeño | 1 | |
| Fresh cilantro | 1/2 bunch | |
| Neutral oil | 1/2 cup | |
| Lime | 1 | juiced; bottled juice works |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp |
Method
- Chop the cilantro fine and stir it into the oil in a jar or freezer bag. Shake hard. At home a blender makes it smooth; in camp a knife is close enough.
- Drain the corn. Slice the scallions thin and mince the chili. Combine with the corn.
- Pour the herb oil over, add lime juice, salt, and pepper. Stir and let it sit while the fire settles.
- Score each sausage on both sides with shallow diagonal cuts so the casings do not split. Halve them and thread on skewers, or lay them straight on the grate.
- Grill over coals, turning, until browned all over. Two or three minutes is enough for precooked links.
- Spoon the salsa over the sausages, or serve the salsa alongside for dipping.
This is a campfire dinner with almost no cooking in it. The sausages are already cooked, so the fire is only there for color and heat; the salsa is assembled cold and gets better sitting in its own oil while the coals come down. That split is the whole point — nothing has to finish at the same time.
The cilantro oil does more work than a chopped herb would. Blending or finely chopping the cilantro into oil spreads it through every kernel of corn instead of leaving green flecks on top, and the oil carries the chili heat too. Canned corn replaces the fresh cobs, which is the only real substitution here. It is wetter and less sweet, so drain it well and lean on the lime. This one needs a cooler, so it is a car-camping or basecamp meal, not something to carry.
Packing
Sausage stays in the cooler in its original vacuum pack. Corn cans, oil, and spices ride in the dry box. Cilantro keeps longest wrapped in a damp paper towel inside a bag.
Variations
- Grill the corn on the cob first, then cut the kernels off. Char adds more than the extra step costs.
- Skip the sausage and grill halloumi or firm tofu instead. The salsa carries it.
- Warm corn tortillas on the grate and build them into tacos.
https://www.matprat.no/oppskrifter/kos/polser-med-mais--og-chilisalsa