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Mexican Corn Salad

July 17, 2011 by The Runaway Spoon 5 Comments

My favorite summer treat is definitely fresh corn, straight off the cob. I eat more corn in summer than I ought to admit.  Usually just straight up, with a little butter and salt.  When corn starts appearing in the farmers market, I buy bushels of it to put up for the winter. I ration out those little frozen bags of golden jewels like they really are precious gems.  And when I light up the grill, I love to throw on some corn.  Usually way more than my guests and I will eat, so I can cut the leftovers off the cobs and enjoy it later.

Mexican-style grilled corn, or elote, is another one of those food ideas that I read about for years before ever actually trying it.  When I finally did take the plunge, slathering a freshly cooked cob of corn in mayonnaise and rolling it in salty cheese, I was hooked.  This is now my favorite way to eat corn on the cob.  When I started serving it at cook-outs, many friends were reluctant to try mayo on their corn, but the brave ones who did were hooked too.  Now there is an amazing Mexican deli in town that serves elote, and when I hear folks rave about it, I love to say I told you so.

When I have a smaller group of friends to serve, I grill the cobs and put them on a big platter.  Next to that I put a bowl of mayonnaise for spreading, a dish of chili powder for sprinkling, a plate of crumbled cheese for rolling and some lime wedges for squeezing.  Interactive food is always fun.  But with a larger group, that is not always practical, in part because I only have corn cob holders for six ears.  So when planning a larger gathering once, it occurred to me that maybe I could transform the idea into a salad.  It works beautifully, with all the flavor of a traditional elote.  It’s great for a crowd, but is also a great way to take fresh corn along to a party.  If you don’t have the grill going, it is perfectly fine with just-boiled kernels.

Mexican Corn Salad

Cotija cheese is a salty Mexican cheese you’ll find in with other Hispanic cheeses at most god groceries.  If you don’t find cotija, queso fresco is a good substitute.  I prefer to buy blocks and crumble it myself to get even chunks.

¼ cup mayonnaise (or more to taste)                                                                       

Juice of 2 limes

1 teaspoon mild chili powder

½ teaspoon ground cumin

8 ears of fresh corn, shucked and silks removed

1 cup crumbled cojita cheese (about 4 ounces)

Salt to taste

In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, juice of one lime, the chili powder and the ground cumin.  Blend well and set aside.

Cook the corn on the cob. You can bring a large pot of water to the boil, drop in the cobs and bring the water back to the boil.  Remove the pot from the heat, cover it and let the cobs cook for five minutes. If you’ve got the grill going, you can then place the cobs on the grill to get a nice char on the kernels, but its fine if you don’t grill.  When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife.  Place the corn in a large bowl and squeeze over the juice of one lime.  Toss the kernels around to absorb the lime juice.  Add the cotija cheese and toss to combine.  Stir in the mayonnaise dressing to coat all the corn kernels.  Add salt to taste and mix well.

This salad will keep covered in the fridge for 24 hours.

Serves 6 – 8, can be doubled or tripled

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Related

Filed Under: Cinco de Mayo, Farmers Market, Fruit and Vegetables, Holiday Cooking, Salads, Sides, Snacks And Starters, Soup and Salads, Vegetables Tagged With: corn, cotija cheese, mayonnaise, Mexican, Salads, summer

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Abby says

    July 18, 2011 at 3:43 pm

    This looks fantastic! Pinning for later reference. Thank you for sharing this great recipe.

  2. Reliable says

    September 12, 2011 at 10:41 am

    This was really good. Made a great side for a fun summer supper with friends.

  3. Primlani Kitchen says

    July 2, 2012 at 6:16 pm

    I Love this recipe. So fresh and flavorful. Thanks for sharing!!

  4. Joan says

    October 16, 2016 at 12:19 pm

    We really like this salad. I’m Polish/Czech so this recipe was not part of my typical heritage of salads. I had to make this because I had my first, ever ear of Mexican corn a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. (Yes, at the age of 61.) My recommendation, don’t change anything. You’ll love it. This will be one of our regulars. Thank you for sharing.

Trackbacks

  1. First Week | Personal Map says:
    July 18, 2012 at 11:03 pm

    […] Roberto Santibanez. I made his guac, pico de gallo, and, of course, the carnitas, served with Mexican corn salad. The only difference was, instead of boiling the corn, I roasted it husks-on at 450 for 20 minutes. […]

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I'm P.C. I think I am like most people. Somewhere in the middle between food snob and food schlub. Just being in the kitchen makes me happy. I live, mostly in my kitchen, in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.

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