I posted a street corn salad recipe in 2011, and frankly it was a pretty new idea at the time (though I am sure not in Mexico). Since then, the idea of street corn, or elotes – corn slathered in mayonnaise with lime juice, chili seasoning and rolled in crumbled cotija cheese – has really taken off. It’s everywhere. All over the internet, in dips you buy at the grocery store, a flavor for corn chips and crackers. In my Street Corn Chicken Chili. And no wonder, because it is a really, really good combination. When served off the cob as a salad it is known as esquites, by the way. For several year I hosted a “spirited cocktail party” at the beginning of November, with a vaguely Day of the Dead theme, and served lots of Mexican-style recipes (it was sidelined by Covid, but may be ripe for a comeback). I served esquites in little plastic cups with tiny spoons and a packet of Tajin clipped to the cup with tiny clothespins. But I wanted to make it a little special, a little different. I had seen somewhere a recipe for “corn mayonnaise” and did a wild search to find it, thinking that would be the trick. It turned out to be just jarred mayo with pureed with corn. So I tinkered and tested and made this totally scratch mayonnaise made with fresh corn kernels. It bumps the salad up exponentially. Making it, well, really corny.
I have made this in stages and taken it to a lake weekend and it was a real treat. Put the corn, with the squeeze of lime, in a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Tote the mayonnaise in a separate container, the cheese in its package, the bunch of cilantro to chop right before serving and a shaker of chili-lime seasoning. Separately, it will keep for two days. Just toss it up when you are ready to serve. You may not use all the mayo, but that’s a bonus because it is fantastic on tomato sandwich or BLT or burger. In fact, I have made this mayo on it’s own just for tomatoes.
Ingredients
12 ears of corn in the husk
2 egg yolks
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
3 Tablespoon lime juice, divided
3 teaspoons chili-lime seasoning (like Tajin), divided
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup vegetable oil
8 ounces queso fresco
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Directions
- You want the corn kernels lightly cooked – here’s what I do. Cut about 1-inch from the stalk end of each corn cob (the end opposite the tassel). Place 2 cobs at a time in the microwave and cook for 4 minutes. Wearing oven mitts or with a tea towel, hold each corn and squeeze out the cob, leaving the silks and husks behind. The silks stay behind and the kernels are just cooked. Reserve one cob of corn, then cut the kernels from the rest into a bowl. Altenratively, ou could also boil the corn cobs for a few minutes. Squeeze 1 Tablespoon of lime juice over the kernels in the bowl and toss. Cover and refrigerate while you get on with the rest.
- To make the corn mayonnaise
- Take the extra corn cob and char it slightly – I place it over the open flame of my gas burner, turning a few times, until some of the kernels are charred brown and toasty. You can also place the cob under the oven broiler and turn occasionally. You can skip this step, but I love the slightly smoky hint this gives to the mayo. Put the egg yolks, lemon juice and 2 Tablespoons lime juice, chile-lime, cumin, smoked paprika and salt in the carafe of a blender. Cut the kernels from the cob into the blender. Blend on high until it’s as smooth as you can get it. With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil in a very thin stream until the mayonnaise has thickened. It won’t be as thick as mayo from the jar, but will be a nice spreadable consistency. You may not need all the oil, so check it when you’ve added half, three quarters and so on. Scoop into a container, cover and refrigerate for several hours, or up to a day.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle the remaining teaspoon of chili-lime over the corn and toss to coat. Crumble in the queso fresco and sprinkle over the cilantro. Toss to completely combine. Spoon in the mayo a dollop at a time, stirring until the corn is well coated. You may not use all the mayo, but that’s a bonus because it is fantastic on s tomato sandwich or BLT or burger. Taste the salad and add salt or more chili-lime if needed.
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