Mexican Corn Salad

I’ve never been a really big fan of corn, but every now and again, especially in the summer, I am reminded of how good an ear can be, slathered in butter with a sprinkling of salt. This year’s thing, when presented with an ear of corn, was to make a seasoning mix of garlic powder, salt, chipotle pepper and chili powder that I’d sprinkle on to my corn cob before diving in. So yummy! Highly recommend that.

But I digress....

If you’ve followed me or know me, you know I am a HUGE salad lover and summer is obviously the ideal time to eat them. Living in California where the weather is ideal most of the year, I can really enjoy salads almost year-round. So when I came across this recipe for Mexican Street Corn Salad in my Food Lab cookbook not long ago, I decided it was different enough that, despite containing corn, I wanted to try it. It was delicious! I think it would make a fine salad to bring along on picnics and to potlucks where you need to bring something to impress. People are gonna like this. I would eat it along with a steak or grilled chicken for a nice summer BBQ.

Be sure to roast the corn, it adds a lot of flavor. Don’t just buy canned corn! The recipe calls for skillet-roasting the corn, but I think if you’re gonna bother why not do it on the grill? Fresh corn, freshly roasted, is going to taste the best. If you’re tight on time you can also find roasted corn, frozen, that you can just thaw and add to your salad. Not quite as good, but it’ll do in a pinch. You can find this at Trader Joe’s. So you’ve now got 3 ways to roast your corn. It’s up to you.

Without further ado, on to the salad.


Mexican Street Corn Salad

2 Tbsp avocado oil
4 ears corn, shucked and kernels removed
Sea salt
2 Tbsp mayonnaise (my latest favorite is from Primal Kitchen)*
2 ounces Cotija cheese, or feta cheese, finely crumbled, or 2 oz. Pecorino Romano, grated (this is what I used)
1/2 cup finely sliced scallion greens
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp lime juice
Chili powder or red pepper flakes, to taste

Head the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the corn kernels, season to taste with salt, toss once or twice and cook without stirring, until slightly charred on the first side, about 2 minutes. Toss, stir and repeat until charred on the second side, about 2 minutes longer. Continue tossing and charring for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

(Again, you could BBQ the corn whole on a grill and then when cool, slice the kernels off.  Or, you could just thaw out a bag of the Trader Joe’s roasted corn. Either way, you want about 3 cups of kernels.)

To the cooled corn, add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Taste again and adjust the seasoning, with salt and more chili powder, if desired. Make sure to serve this salad at room temperature.