Fresh Corn Salad with Cotija and Lime
This Mexican corn salad is everything you want on the table at a cookout: bright lime dressing, salty cotija cheese, crisp vegetables, and sweet fresh corn in every bite. There's no mayo, so it holds up for hours and travels well without any worry. The whole salad comes together in about 20 minutes, and most of the dressing ingredients are already in your pantry.
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 ears of corn
- 1 bell pepper (diced)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
- 1 cup English cucumber (cut into quarters)
- 1 cup red onions (diced)
- ⅓ cup cilantro (chopped)
- 1 cup cotija cheese (crumbled)
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup lime juice (about 3 limes)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil, add a handful of salt and corn. Cook for 3 minutes and remove to a bowl filled with ice water. Once cooled, cut the corn off of the cob and add it to a large bowl.
- Add diced peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, and cheese to the bowl with the corn and gently mix with your hands.
Dressing:
- Combine all of the ingredients into a glass jar with a lid and shake until it is well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. When ready to serve, pour the dressing over the salad and gently mix. Let it sit for about 30 minutes for the dressing to absorb into the corn.
Barbara's Notes + Tips
- If using garden cucumbers, you might want to peel them first.
- This gets better as it sits in the fridge but the veggies will lose their crispness after about 3 days.
- Salt the blanching water generously, it seasons the corn from the start.
- Transfer corn to ice water immediately after blanching to keep it crisp.
- Shake the dressing in a jar and taste before pouring. adjust salt and lime to your preference.
Nutrition
Calories: 137kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 726IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg
