This is a riff on the wonderful salad my friend Kali makes that's always a hit at her summer dinners. If you're new to the concept of esquites, think of it as a big beautiful bowlful of elote, the tasty Mexican grilled corn you see for sale on the street.
I'm always in a rush so I've updated Kali's recipe (which was inspired by the esquites served at Colonia Verde in Fort Green, Brooklyn) to simplify it and shift the flavor profile a wee bit and it's now quicker and easier to prepare without losing any flavor.
I apologize for the photos - I was in a rush and had to use my phone. Photo quality aside, this salad is hands-down one of the best ways to celebrate sweet corn season.
Grilling both the corn and the jalapeno peppers (YES, GRILL THE PEPPERS, TOO!) imparts a fantastic smokiness to the dish's addictive combination of flavors and textures - sweet, crunchy, creamy, zingy, herby, smokey, and salty. Folks always come back for seconds and, sometimes, even thirds.
The amounts below are for a double batch that serves eight people because it tends to be very popular and I know from personal experience that if don't make enough to have leftovers the next day, you will be sad. Feel free to cut the amounts in half if you're entertaining fewer folks, though.
A few notes before you get started:
- To make this recipe vegan, substitute a vegan mayo and omit the cheese - still be delicious.
- If you or anyone in your life has the genetic variant that makes cilantro taste gross (like soap, apparently), leave the cilantro out. Conversely, if you love cilantro, feel free to include even more.
- You can include other herbs - like mint or parsley - if you like.
- You can make this salad ahead of time and store it, covered, in the fridge for a day or two.
- If you don't have Cotija cheese handy, you can substitute feta cheese.
- If you want your salad spicier, either increase the jalapenos, leave them raw and chop them up finely instead of grilling them, and/or add a big splash of sriracha or other hot sauce to your mayo mixture.
¡Que aproveche la ensalada! (I hope you enjoy it.)
-Eve
