Sure, you can make corn salad…but why not make grilled corn salad? This spin on the traditional summer salad will absolutely blow your mind. The smoky flavor in each bite makes it impossible not to take another bite! The flavors here are reminiscent of Mexican street corn: a creamy sauce flavored with mayo, lime, chili powder and cumin. Mix in a few colorful veggies and a bit of feta cheese if you’d like, and you’ve got a sweet savory salad that’s bursting with summer flavor.
Ingredients for grilled corn salad
This grilled corn salad is bursting with flavor from a small collection of ingredients. While the flavors are based on Mexican street corn, it’s not overwhelmingly Mexican in its vibe. It’s just drop-dead delicious.
Ingredients:
- 6 ears corn (about 5 cups kernels)
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or vegan mayo)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (more mayo or cashew cream for vegan)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon eachchili powder, garlic powder, cumin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Feta cheese or Cotija cheese crumbles (optional)
Instructions
Grill the corn: Heat a grill to medium high heat (375 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit). Shuck the corn. Use your hands to rub oil on each corn cob evenly. Place the corn directly on the grill grates and cook until it begins to blacken, then turn. Cook about 12 to 15 minutes total, until blackened on all sides. (Alternative method: Use a smoker to make Smoked Corn.)
Cut the corn off the cob: Find a bundt pan, or large rimmed baking sheet or pan. Place the corn into the hole in the bundt pan or hold the corn vertically inside the baking sheet, then use a chef’s knife to slice down and remove the corn from the cob (the sides of the pan catch the kernels that fly when cutting; more details here.)
Prep the vegetables: Mince the onion. Dice the cherry tomatoes. Finely chop the cilantro.
Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, and kosher salt.
Serve: Mix together the grilled corn, vegetables, and dressing. If desired, top with feta cheese crumbles (though they’re not needed for flavor!).