Sometimes we (and when I say "we," I really just mean "I) just get lazy. We make great food, but forget to take a picture or we put the "recipe to blog" on a to do list that never gets done. Or we start a blog entry with said good food and get interrupted and never quite get back to it. So many reasons, so little time. But I happened to bring a corn salad with salmon to my Friends of Westwood Library board meeting and people really liked it and requested the recipe. Luckily, I had the forethought to have snapped a photo with my trusty iPhone (no fancy food styling photos for me!) and I had a few minutes to put this entry together.
I made the salad for my camping trip last weekend (sans the salmon....just served some TJ's carne asada with tortillas and the salad) and was so happy that there were enough corn salad leftovers for me to scarf down the next day for a pre dinner snack. And while it is called "Mexican," that seems to merely be a function of the lime and jalapeño ingredients...it doesn't come off that specific in flavor. Which is why I paired it with a simple seared and flaked salmon for the meeting. But I think sauteed or grilled shrimp would be equally delicious.
And considering the insane amount of pork product that I ate on the camping trip (scrambled eggs cooked in bacon fat and laced with andouille sausage, anyone?) this seemed like a nice antidote to start the week off on a better foot, healthy heartwise.
I adapted the recipe from a fab blog called Serious Eats.
- Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 ears fresh corn, shucked, (I use a pie tin to catch the kernels as I slice them vertically off the cob.)
- Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (I was tempted to disregard this as I am not a big mayo fan, but it really really works well.)
- 2 ounces feta or cotija cheese, finely crumbled..I have also used queso fresco cheese
- 1/2 cup finely sliced scallion greens
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped (I have omitted this as not everyone is a big cilantro fan, but if I were making it just for me and Jeff, I would go nuts on this one.)
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and stemmed, finely chopped (doesn't end up that spicy...in spite of the whole pepper chopped.)
- 1 to 2 medium cloves garlic, pressed or minced on a microplane grater (about 1 to 2 teaspoons)
- 1 tablespoon fresh juice from 1 lime
- Chili powder or hot chili flakes, to taste
Directions
1. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over high heat until shimmering. Add corn kernels, season to taste with salt, toss once or twice, and cook without moving until charred on one side, about 2 minutes. Toss corn, stir, and repeat until charred on second side, about 2 minutes longer. Continue tossing and charring until well charred all over, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a large bowl.
2. Add mayonnaise, cheese, scallions, cilantro, jalapeño, garlic, lime juice, and chili powder and toss to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more chili powder to taste. Add flaked seared salmon or shrimp. Serve immediately. Eat and get seconds.
