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Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients
  

For the Salad:

  • 5 ears corn on the cob, shucked or 5 cups frozen sweet corn
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
  • 1/2 English cucumber, sliced and quartered
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 jalapeno seeded, deveined, diced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, packed
  • 1/3 cup Cotija cheese, finely grated

For the Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 2 tbsp. mayonnaise
  • 3 tbsp. lime juice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

Instructions
 

To prepare the dressing:

  • In a large salad bowl, add all of the dressing Ingredients and whisk to combine; set aside.

To prepare the corn, if grilling:

  • Lightly brush each ear of corn with oil.
  • Grease and heat grill to high heat.
  • Once hot, add corn and close the lid.
  • Cook 2 - 3 minutes on each side, rotating the corn until all of the sides are lightly charred, about 10 - 12 minutes, closing the lid in between rotations; set the corn aside and allow to cool enough to handle.
  • Once cooled, cut the kernels off the cob and transfer to the dressing.

To prepare the corn, if using stovetop:

  • Cut the kernels off of the cob or, if using frozen corn, don't thaw first.
  • In a large cast iron skillet, over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
  • Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn starts to char, approximately 5 minutes for fresh and 7 minutes for frozen.
  • Transfer kernels to the dressing.

To assemble the Mexican corn salad:

  • Add all of the salad Ingredients to the dressing and stir until evenly coated.
  • Taste and season with additional salt, pepper and/or lime juice to taste.

Notes

Mexican corn salad is best served right away once dressed.  The dressing is made with perishable sour cream and mayonnaise so it shouldn’t sit out any longer than two hours.   
Cover tightly with plastic wrap or store in an airtight container.  Store in the refrigerator for 3 - 5 days.
Refrigerated Esquites are not as creamy; gently warming, on the stovetop or in the microwave, until warm but not hot will amp up the creaminess once more.
Make ahead: 
Esquites isn’t quite as creamy once refrigerated so you don’t want to just combine the salad ingredients, refrigerate and serve.  Instead, you have three options:
(1)  Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.
(2)  Better yet, rewarm it lightly on the stove or in the microwave to help it become creamy again. 
(3)  If the latter isn’t an option (i.e. taking to a potluck), store the dressing and salad separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator.  Combine shortly before serving and let the Mexican corn salad rest, at room temperature, for 15 - 30 minutes before serving.
Ingredient substitutions:  
If you don’t like cilantro, swap it for parsley; if you don’t like Cotija, swap it with feta; if you don’t like red onions, swap them for green onions.