Elote Salad

Elote (or "Corn", in Spanish) is a Mexican street food consisting of corn grilled with spices and topped with a creamy dressing. We've gone one step further and deconstructed our version of elote into a salad that's fantastic served as a snack with corn chips or alongside a piece of grilled steak. It's a wonderful Summer dish that's great served warm or cold. This recipe makes 4 servings but can be doubled.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 10 minutes

Ingredients
For the dressing:
1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, minced
Zest and juice of 1 lime

Remaining ingredients:
4 ears fresh of sweet corn, husked
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1 small red or white onion, finely chopped
4 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
Handful of finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, or chili powder
Salt, to taste

Directions
Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush the corn with olive oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, flipping with kitchen tongs. Remove from the grill and set aside to cool.

In a large, nonreactive bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth. Slice the kernels off of the corn and add to the bowl with the dressing along with the onion. Fold to combine. Add cheese, cilantro, paprika and jalapeño. Taste and add salt if needed.

Serve right away or cover and chill for up to 2 days.