Corn is a hot commodity in our area. The farmer’s market opens at 9:30am but a line begins around 8:45 to get corn from the preferred farm. I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time to wait in line for 45 minutes before the farmer’s market opens in order to get corn. Plus, Baby J is usually down for his nap between 9-9:30 so we don’t go to the farmer’s market until around 11.
Luckily for me one of my good friends lives on the farm because her family owns it. So when I had a craving for corn last week and I knew I couldn’t get any at the farmer’s market before they sold out, my friend was nice enough to bring me over a dozen ears of corn. Now it’s just me, my husband, and Baby J so a dozen ears of corn is a lot and I needed to find something to do with it other then roasting it with dinner.
I looked through my cooking magazines and came up with a recipe for Mexican Corn Salad. It used 6 ears of corn, didn’t have a ton of ingredients, and seemed to be semi-healthy. Plus it was from Cook’s Illustrated so I knew it would be good. I’ve never made a recipe from Cook’s Illustrated that didn’t turn out so I trust them completely.
The corn is cooked in a skillet over high heat so that one side is slightly charred. It’s then tossed with a light dressing, fresh lime juice, cojita cheese, and fresh cilantro. I thought it would be good with some black beans tossed in as well.
This is a really fresh tasting salad. It would be a great addition to any cook out or picnic. It’s an easy vegetable side dish to make and one that no one else is probably going to bring. I like that the sweet corn is the start but there is a little heat from the jalapenos which is tamed by the creamy dressing.
- 3 T. fresh lime juice
- 3 T. sour cream
- 1 T. mayonnaise
- 1 t. black pepper
- 1 t. salt
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 1 T. olive oil
- 6 ears corn, kernels cut from the cobs
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 oz. cojita cheese, crumbled
- ½ c. cilantro, chopped
- In a small bowl combine lime juice, sour cream, mayonnaise, black pepper, salt, and jalapeno peppers. Set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the corn and spread in an even layer. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, without stirring, until corn is charred on the bottom.
- Remove from heat and remove lid. Pour into a large bowl.
- Add in the sour cream mixture and mix to combine. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, cheese, and cilantro to the bowl and toss to combine.
Sue Lau
Yummy! We’re still getting lots of corn here so extra recipes are always great.