Spiced Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
This Mexican esquites salad features sweetcorn toasted until golden, then combined with crumbled cotija cheese, fresh jalapeno, garlic and a creamy, spicy dressing of mayonnaise, lime juice and cayenne. Finished with fresh cilantro, it's a flavourful and colourful dish ideal for sharing. It serves 6 and takes about 40 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh sweet corn kernels
- 3.5 cups crumbled cotija cheese, divided
- 0.5 medium white onion, chopped
- 2 medium limes, juiced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 0.25 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- sea salt to taste
Method
- Warm the vegetable oil in a large cast iron skillet until it sizzles. Toast the corn kernels, stirring now and then, until they turn a golden brown colour, which will take 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds. Take the skillet off the heat and let the mixture cool down for 10 to 15 minutes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cooled corn mixture with the minced jalapeno, 3 tablespoons of the cotija cheese, mayonnaise, lime juice, cayenne pepper and sea salt. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference. Garnish the salad with the rest of the cotija cheese and the chopped cilantro.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories462 kcal
Fat33 g
Sugars4 g
Protein20 g
Sodium914 mg
Recipe details
CategoryMain course
Cuisinemexican
AuthorMarilyn Schlossbach
