Grilled Corn Salad with Fresh Cheese and Corn Nuts

When I was in Mexico, I tasted the craziest corn I had ever had. It was huge and starchy, and even when it was doused in crema, lime, and chile, you could tell that the kernels tasted like an unborn corn nut. Corn nuts! And it was there that I made the connection to corn nuts and the fact that they came from corn. I mean, duh, of course they do, but…wow. If you haven’t lost respect for me after reading that, thank you! Anyway, the corn I ate growing up (white corn, boiled and served smeared with margarine, stuck with those surprisingly useful little corn holders) never got me as excited as the cool ranch corn nuts I ate from the school vending machine, so I decided to make a salad that did just that (with corn nuts, of course).

Unbalanced

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Step 1

Heat a grill to high (see Note). Throw the corn right on that grill and leave it alone, except maybe to turn it a few times over the next 25 to 35 minutes. Check the corn at 25 minutes by peeling back a bit of the husk; it should be this crazy golden-yellow color with spots of char from the grill.

Step 2

If it needs more time, I don’t think your grill is hot enough, but at any rate, throw it back on the grill and check again in 10 or so minutes.

Step 3

Meanwhile, combine the lime juice, onion, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper; set aside.

Step 4

Once the corn comes off the grill, let it get cool enough to handle so you can shuck it and strip the kernels off the cob. The easiest way to do this is to hold the corn by the stem and place it in a large bowl. Starting at the top, using a sharp knife (a serrated knife works well, too) and getting as close to the cob as possible, shave the kernels off; they should land in the bowl, rather than scatter all over your counter and kitchen floor.

Step 5

Add the onion mixture to the bowl with the corn kernels and season with salt and pepper, tossing to coat. Add the cilantro, queso fresco, and corn nuts, and season with salt, red pepper flakes, and more lime juice, as needed, to make sure it’s good and limey.

Step 6

NOTE: You can also do this in the oven, although it will take a bit longer. Place the unhusked corn directly on a rack inside a preheated 450°F oven and leave it alone, except maybe to turn it a few times over the next 30 to 40 minutes. Check the corn at 30 minutes by peeling back a bit of the husk; it should be this crazy golden-yellow color with spots of char. If it isn’t, give it another 10 minutes or so.