Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad. Just like normal Mexican Street Corn but without the cob or the mess of assembling the cob.

Don't get me wrong. I love eating corn on the cob and I fell in love with Mexican Street Corn right away. But having to lather every cob with the sauce and then crumbling the Cotjia cheese in a large enough tray or pan to roll the cobs in was too time consuming and messy for me (especially all the dirty dishes afterwards).

So I made it into a salad. It's easier and I can make more of it in less time. It's great for parties and BBQ's or even just a dinner for two (though you might want to half the recipe if you don't want leftovers).

You can use corn fresh from the cob, frozen corn or even canned corn. I tend to use frozen or fresh but I have used canned in a pinch. You just need to make sure to dry the canned corn as much as your can before cooking it.

To get that wonderful caramelized flavor from the corn you'll want to pan fry it in a single layer. I find my cast iron pan creates a better flavor but I can still achieve some nice color and flavor from my normal or non-stick pans. Once the corn is all cooked place it on a baking tray or in a bowl. The baking tray is ideal because you can lay the corn out in a single layer for faster cooling.

While the corn is cooling mix up the sauce and crumble the cheese into it. When the corn is cool mix it all together.

Now, you can mix it all together while the corn is still hot but it will change the color and texture of the sauce (transparent and almost greasy in nature). Which is why I let it cool a bit. Sometimes I'll even let it cool to room temp and after mixing everything together I'll chill it before serving. It's good warm or cold.

You may have noticed one classic ingredient missing in the photos. I cannot eat cilantro and omit it in recipes or pick it out of my food if it comes with it at a restaurant. Sometimes I'll chop up some Italian parsley and add it to recipes so it looks like there is cilantro but I didn't have any when I made this recipe post.

Plus, I've heard if you love cilantro it's kind of like garlic. You measure it with your heart and not by what the recipe calls for. So if cilantro is your thing go as crazy as you want with this Mexican Street Corn Salad.