We are so fortunate that a farmer just across the street offers up fresh corn each summer. It is 5/$1 on the honor system. It is so good - one of my favorites of summertime. This salad is good whether corn is in season or not. What I love about it is that it still amazing even when using frozen corn. I started making these salads last summer and have now made it enough times using different recipes, I've settled on this as our favorite so it is ready to share with you here! Hope you like it too! Don't be afraid to double it up - I usually do!
mexican corn salad
¼ cup mayonnaise (or more to taste)
2 limes
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
8 ears of fresh corn, shucked and silks removed or frozen (1 ear = 1 cup)
1 cup or 4 oz crumbled cojita* cheese
Salt to taste
Green onion, chopped (optional)
Cilantro, chopped (optional)
(Other optional additions: poblano, tomato, avocado....)
In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, juice of one lime, the chili powder and the ground cumin. Blend well and set aside.
Fresh is always best, but here's the best part... If you don't have access to fresh corn, you can use frozen. Just thaw - no need to even cook! If you do have fresh... Cook the corn on the cob. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in the cobs and bring the water back to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, 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 it's 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 the juice of one lime over the corn. 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.
Serves 6 – 8, can be doubled or tripled.
*Cotija cheese is a salty Mexican cheese you’ll find in with other Hispanic cheeses - if you don’t find cotija, queso fresco is a good substitute. I've used both and they are excellent. Don't forget to try your own add-ins!
