Mexican Street Corn Chopped Salad

This post was originally shared September 2014. Recipe, images and text have been updated. 

Have you ever tried Mexican street corn? It's made by slathering grilled ears of corn with mayonnaise (stick with me now), cotija cheese, chili powder and lime juice. It's one of those things that sounds kinda odd, but my lord is it delicious. The sweet and juicy fresh corn with the smokiness of the grill, spicy chili powder, tart lime, creamy mayo, and salty cheese - I'm getting hungry! 

This Mexican street corn chopped salad is loosely inspired by Mexican street corn. Since I created the recipe a few years back it's become one of my favorite summer meals because it's entirely cooked on the grill. It takes all those yummy flavors and put it into meal form! Although let's be real, I definitely could and would happily eat a meals worth of street corn! 

Mexican Street Corn Chopped Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn, husks removed
• 2 red peppers
• 4 large scallions
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped
• 1 14-ounce can pinto beans, drained 
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup cotija or feta cheese

Dressing: 

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

1. Heat the grill to medium heat.
2. Brush or spray the corn, peppers, and scallions with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the oiled vegetables on the grill along with the bacon. Grill the scallions for about 1-2 minutes until grill-marked. Grill the bacon about 5 minutes until crisp. Grill the peppers and corn about 7-10 minutes until charred and peppers are tender. Remove to a platter and set aside to cool 
3. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, honey and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. 
4. Place the chopped lettuce in a large bowl. Stem, seed and chop the grilled peppers and add to the lettuce. Crumble in the bacon. Chop the scallions and add to the salad. Cut the corn off the cob using a serrated knife and add to the lettuce. Toss in cherry tomatoes, basil, pinto beans and cheese. Drizzle with dressing, toss and serve. 

More summer salads:

Tropical Tofu Salad with Mango-Macadamia Dressing

Baby Kale Salad with Grilled Halloumi, Cherries and Charred Corn

Melon and Mint Salad