Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil (very hot)
• 4 cup corn (fresh, canned, or frozen)
• 3 tbsp Mexican crema (or sour cream)
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 lime juice (juice from 2 limes)
• 1 clove garlic (grated)
• 0.25 tsp chili powder (not cayenne pepper)
• 0.25 tsp cumin
• 0.125 tsp smoked paprika
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• 0.25 cup cotija cheese (crumbled; or feta)
• 1 jalapeno (finely diced)
• 0.25 cup red onion (finely diced)
• 0.333 cup cilantro (finely chopped; or parsley)

Steps

1. 1

   Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over high heat until very hot.

2. 2

   Add 4 cups of corn to the skillet and sauté until the kernels are lightly charred.

3. 3

   Remove the corn from the heat and let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. 4

   In a large mixing bowl, prepare the dressing by whisking together 3 tablespoons of Mexican crema, 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise, the juice from 2 limes, 1 grated clove of garlic, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/8 teaspoon smoked paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.

5. 5

   Add the cooled corn to the dressing bowl.

6. 6

   Add 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese, 1 finely diced jalapeno, 1/4 cup finely diced red onion, and 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro to the bowl.

7. 7

   Gently fold all the ingredients together until thoroughly combined.

Notes

If you cannot find Mexican crema, sour cream is a suitable substitute. If cotija cheese is unavailable, feta cheese can be used instead. For those who dislike cilantro, parsley can be used as a replacement, though the flavor profile will change.

Nutrition per serving

• appetizer
• side dish
• Mexican
• vegetarian
• gluten-free
• summer
• corn
• salad