This Corn Salad has Been the Star of My Cookouts for 20 Years

I'm not entirely sure why my old chef Ken Oringer put "Mexican Street Corn" on the menu at his Boston area Spanish restaurant Toro, seeing as the dish is neither a tapa nor Spanish, but it was there on the menu, and it was delicious.

It also happened to be one of the restaurant’s top sellers (probably still is), which meant that as a line cook in the early 2000s I spent hours every day grilling whole ears of sweet corn, snapping them in half, and tossing them in a giant bowl with garlicky mayo, crumbled cotija, lime juice, cilantro, and chili powder. You’d think repetition would have killed my appetite for it, but it never did. It’s one of those recipes I’ve carried with me ever since, guaranteed to steal the spotlight at cookouts and dinner parties.

The truth is, the Toro version was quite different from what you’d find in Mexico. There, esquites—as the dish is called once the kernels are cut off the cob—are traditionally made with maíz blanco, a starchy white field corn with a savory, chewy bite. In the U.S., we almost always use sweet corn. In Mexico, it’s just as common to find the kernels boiled as charred, and the base is often butter or crema instead of the mayonnaise that’s now standard stateside.

Personally, I prefer the sweet corn approach: its balance of sweetness, tanginess, and rich mayo hits all the right notes—especially when the mayo is fresh. And fresh mayo couldn’t be easier with my two-minute mayo immersion blender method : combine an egg, citrus juice, garlic, Dijon (if you like), salt, and oil in a narrow container, sink the blender to the bottom, and let it rip. The blades pulverize the garlic and pull the oil down in a vortex, slowly incorporating it into the egg and citrus until you’ve got a thick, creamy emulsion in seconds.

Make the mayo and crumble the cotija ahead of time, combine it in a bowl with the cilantro and chili, bring it all to the grill while you cook the corn, and you're just a few knife strokes and a good toss away from serving one of the greatest side dishes of all time. The best thing is that it's just as good hot as it is served at room temperature.

Mexican-Style Grilled Corn Salad (Esquites)

Every recipe I publish here is personally tested, tasted, and approved.

What I like about this recipe:

• A creamy dressing with sharp cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime complements the natural sweetness of corn.

• The grill gives the corn plenty of char for extra smoky flavor.

• The dressing and seasonings can all be prepared in advance, making this an easy dish for entertaining.

Yield: Serves 4-6

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes (plus time for grill to preheat)

Notes: You can also make this same dish with fresh or leftover boiled or steamed corn. You can use queso fresco, feta, or even grated parmesan or pecorino in place of the crumbled cotija cheese.

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves

• Juice of 2 limes (plus more to taste)

• 1 large egg

• ¾ cup (180 mL) neutral oil, such as avocado oil

• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil (optional)

• 4 ears sweet corn, husked

• ¼ cup (30 g) crumbled cotija cheese (see note)

• 2 tablespoons (4 g) chopped cilantro leaves

• 1 teaspoon (2 g) ancho chili powder (or to taste)

• Kosher salt

Directions

1. Make the Garlic-Lime Mayo: Place garlic, lime juice, egg, and a big pinch of salt into a tall, narrow vessel. Pour neutral oil on top. Insert an immersion blender all the way to the bottom, turn it on, and slowly lift until a thick, creamy emulsion forms. Stir in the olive oil by hand (adding it with the blender can turn it bitter). Season to taste with more salt or lime juice. If it's too thick, you can thin it out with water or more lime juice.

2. Grill the Corn (see note): Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set the cooking grate in place, cover the grill and allow it to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set half the burners on a gas grill to the highest heat setting, cover, and preheat for 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place corn directly over the hot side of the grill, turning occasionally, until deeply charred on all sides.

3. Cut and Dress: Using a sharp knife, slice kernels off the cob into a large bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of the garlic-lime mayo and toss until the corn is lightly coated. Stir in cotija, cilantro, and chili powder. Taste, then adjust with more mayo, cheese, cilantro, or chili powder as needed.

4. Serve: Serve warm or at room temperature. (Any leftover mayo makes a great spread for sandwiches—or just slather it on more grilled corn.)