my favorite grilled corn salad

July 24th, 2008 | Filed under: entree, recipe, sides & bites | Tags: cilantro, corn, grill, lime, queso fresco

You know that grilled Mexican-style corn that’s slathered in mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese, lime and chili powder? It’s just delicious. All tangy, sweet and spicy. But have you ever tried to eat it in front of other people? Mayonnaise on your chin, mayonnaise on your lips, and sometimes, mayonnaise on your forehead. At times, this is just fine. Other times, you’d prefer to eat a bit more civilly.

This grilled corn salad has all of the flavor of your mayo/parm/lime/chili corn on the cob without all the napkins, furious face-wiping and embarrassing teeth picking. This is a salad you could safely eat on a date, in front of co-workers, and even in front of Flickr-loving food bloggers.

There are so many reasons why this is my favorite corn salad. Grilling the corn lets you cook with one hand on the tongs, one hand on your beer. It goes with pretty much anything, and especially with grilled burgers or sausages. The ingredients are easy to find and I usually have them in my fridge. But really, it just tastes so good. Corn’s beautiful and plentiful right now and this salad is a perfect way to eat it.

Grilled Corn Salad with Queso Fresco and Lime
If you don’t have a grill, you can make this salad just as easily by boiling or microwaving the corn. You’ll lose the charred, grill flavor, but it’ll still be quite tasty.

Also, I’m pretty lazy about removing the silk (see image).

4 ears of corn, husks on
2 tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 big lime (or 1 1/2 small limes)
3 – 4 oz. queso fresco, crumbled
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
pinch salt
1 serrano pepper, minced (If you’re avoiding serrano peppers because of the Salmonella outbreak, use a pinch of cayenne or chipotle pepper powder)

Get your grill going at medium heat. Run the ears of corn under the faucet so that the husks get a wet, otherwise they’ll scorch.

Place the corn on the heat and cook for about 5 – 6 minutes, turning them every minute or so. Remove from the heat and peel pack the husks, then return to the grill. Cook for another 5 – 7 minutes or so, turning the ears every minute.

They should develop a nice, brown char on the kernels. If they look good, remove from heat and let cool a bit. Remove the kernels from the cob (good tips from Elise here).

Toss the corn kernels with the other ingredients and serve.

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