Street Corn Salad

In Ontario where I live, nothing embodies late summer eating for me like fresh corn from the farmers market. I eagerly await the arrival of those summer days when a trip to my local market features those familiar, worn wooden tables, piled high with plump, green-husked beauties.

Overflowing nearby are baskets of shucked husks and delicate corn silk from those who have disrobed their purchase before heading home. I love the feeling of handling the slightly fuzzy ears, looking for the largest and most weighty specimens, and waiting for the humorous squeak of leafy tension that is emitted when a tight section of the husk is pulled down for inspection. When plump yellow kernels are revealed, the cob goes into my basket, and the ritual is continued until I have selected as many as I can carry. 

Each summer, before the corn season ends, I make a point of buying a few dozen ears of fresh corn from my favourite organic farmer, stripping off their green cloaks at the market, and taking the cobs home to strip down into kernels. I pack the kernels into silicone pouches and tuck them into the freezer, ready to unearth throughout the following colder months, when a taste of sun soaked sweetness, in the form of corn soup or corn salad, is a welcome reminder that summer might indeed return again one day.

For those of us that dwell in these northern parts, summer doesn’t last as long as we might like, and fresh summer corn even less so. While it is true that there is nothing quite like fresh corn on the cob, or golden, plump kernels freshly shorn off the cob, when corn salad cravings hit, it turns out that frozen corn can do the job quite nicely. Even if you haven’t had the chance to put away your own stockpile of frozen market corn, good quality store-bought frozen corn, especially the sweeter peaches and cream variety, is what I turn to for this recipe. 

This salad is my take on the classic Mexican dish Esquites, a pre-hispanic preparation of corn kernels flavoured with lemon, herbs, and chili, and its sister dish Elote, an entire corn cob slathered in similar toppings. More likely than not, any versions of either of these dishes that you might have encountered outside of Mexico have also been topped with ingredients such as butter, cheese, and mayonnaise. While I truly adore many takes on these scrumptious corn-based preparations, I am not a huge fan of copious amounts of mayonnaise, and I sometimes find that the creamy and rich ingredients found in some versions can overshadow the freshness and complex flavours of the other ingredients.

My version features just the right selection of ingredients to deliver a fresh and truly delicious salad that I make time and time again throughout the year. Juicy and sweet corn kernels, either fresh or from frozen, are combined with salty feta or cotija cheese, dotted with tangy diced tomato and piquant sliced pickled jalapenos, and scattered with fresh cilantro. The salad is dressed modestly with a creamy dressing made up of sour cream (or crema), a touch of mayonnaise, brine from the pickled jalapeños, minced garlic, and sprinkled with dried chipotle powder. All of the flavours of this dish - sweet, earthy, salty, tangy and spicy - are brought together by a squeeze of fresh lime. Street Corn Salad uses a short list of enticing ingredients that come together in a flash - I think that you too will find yourself making it over and over again.

The Food Find

The Food Find ingredient in my Street Corn Salad is ground Chipotle Pepper. Chipotle pepper is the popular smoked and dried form of red jalapeño, that is available in a number of preparations, including dried whole, rehydrated and pickled in adobo sauce, ground into a powder, or as the principle ingredient in salsas and hot sauces. While I love the smoky, spicy flavours of chipotle in all of its forms, I find the canned adobo or hot sauce versions can sometimes add too much heat to what I’m cooking, especially in something like a salad. Using a modest amount of the ground variety adds that signature chipotle flavour, revealing its earthy, smoky, and tangy notes without as much spiciness. Find out more about the various forms of Chipotle Pepper, where to find it, and ways to use it.

How to Eat Street Corn Salad

Street Corn Salad is the perfect component to a multi-dish meal or Mexican themed-spread, and it will definitely stand out at your next picnic or pot luck as the star contribution - on every occasion that I serve it I am asked for the recipe time and time again. I’ve eaten Street Corn Salad next to everything from a veggie burger or quesadillas, to slabs of grilled cumin and garlic spiked tofu or black bean chili. Street Corn Salad is easily taken into main dish territory, as I often do, by adding big wedges of ripe avocado, dressed with salt and lime, or perhaps paired with grilled veggie sausages or grilled chicken for a flexitarian option. Street Corn Salad can also be used as a burrito filling, adding avocado or guacamole and some shredded lettuce, before wrapping everything up for a fresh and tasty meal on the go.

I like to serve the salad as a composed dish on a shallow, wide plate, with each ingredient added in layers as detailed in the recipe. However, nothing will be lost if you make the salad in a container or bowl, to be tossed before serving.