Corn Salad with Red Onion and Queso Fresco

I love corn. Full stop. Corn on the cob, creamed corn — you name it, I love it. This recipe offers an exciting twist on a standard corn side dish. If you’re looking for your corn to have a little extra pizzazz, this is the recipe you’ve been looking for.

Summertime for me means fresh corn on the cob purchased from a farmer’s stand on the side of the road. A quintessential American summer, am I right? The taste of fresh, juicy corn in the summer is unbelievable, but sometimes after weeks of plain, steaming corn on the cob slathered in butter (which there is absolutely nothing wrong with), I just need something a little bit different for my corn.

I found this recipe in Alison Roman’s book, Dining In (surprise, surprise), and it’s definitely a winner. Every time we have corn now at family gatherings, my dad asks, “So, we’re having your corn, right?” So you know this recipe’s a good ‘un.

In this recipe, the corn is combined with lime juice, red pepper flakes, cilantro, red onion and queso fresco. The lime juice gives the dish a nice sour tartness that’s balanced out by the heat coming from the red pepper flakes and the creaminess of the crumbled queso fresco (a delicious Mexican cheese).

If you don’t have fresh corn, no worries, frozen works perfectly here too! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Corn Salad with Red Onion & Queso Fresco:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 6 ears of corn, shucked
• 2 TBS lime juice
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 to 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 TBS dried cilantro, or a handful of fresh
• 4 oz. queso fresco or haloumi
• 1/2 cup corn nuts (optional, only if you can find them, totally not necessary)

Directions:

Step 1: Place the shucked corn cobs in a large pot filled with water (enough water so that all of the corn cobs are submerged in it). Salt the water. Place the pot on the stove top and cook until the water starts to boil. Once the water boils, leave to cook for an additional 10 minutes with the lid on the pot. After 10 minutes, take off the heat and leave for another 5 minutes with the lid on.

Step 2: Drain the corn and leave to cool slightly. Once cool, take a sharp knife and cut the corn off of the corn cobs. If using frozen corn, cook the corn according to the instructions on the package either on the stove top or in the microwave in a container with a lid on it.

Step 3: In bowl, combine the lime juice, onion and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Once the corn is cool, place the corn into the bowl with the onion mixture and stir together. Season again with salt and pepper. Add in the cilantro, queso fresco and corn nuts (if using). If you need to, add in more salt, red pepper flakes or lime juice.

Happy cooking!:)