Fiesta in the salad bowl!
Happy Hump Day, fellas! I don’t usually put up a recipe on Wednesdays, as I consider Tuesday my writing rest day. In the spirit of July 4th, and because I needed to ensure this salad was ready for ya’ll so I could blast out my holiday menu, I made the sacrifice and forced my brain to English on Tuesday afternoon.
Hey, I enjoyed a slice of cake while I typed, so it wasn’t all work and no play.
With the Spanish word for party in the name, I also consider this Fiesta Street Corn Dip Caesar Salad more fun than toil in the kitchen. Charred corn is tossed in my delightful Caesar dressing along with two kinds of cheese, avocado, and crispy tofu bacon.
A simple side dish for summer, one you can assemble right by the grill once the kernels are grilled and stripped from the cobs.
Corny Jokes
The only joke here is how laughably easy this salad is.
I like to start with my Caesar dressing. You’ve seen this formula before if you’ve wandered into my virtual realm prior – it’s no fuss, no egg, and loaded with crazy good flavor.
Simply blitz up mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic cloves, dijon mustard, anchovy pasta, parmesan cheese, and a light pinch of salt and pepper. Whiz it all together, taste and adjust your seasonings, and you’re good to go. Leftover dressing stays good for up to a week in the fridge, or longer if you’re me…
Pro tip! You can make this dressing with cotija, too, since you’re using it in the salad. The texture will be a bit chunkier, as cotija doesn’t smooth out as well as parmesan, but no less delicious.
Next, fire up your grill or grill pan in readiness of the corn cobs. Make sure your corn is stripped and the little corn hairs removed. Yellow corn is my favorite, but bicolor is more than fine.
Grill the corn for 10-12 minutes total, turning every couple minutes to ensure all sides get a chance to achieve some mean grill marks. Cool the cobs until you can handle them comfortably, then balance upright (the corn cobs, not you) on a cutting board and slice of chunks of kernels. I love keeping some thicker slabs in tact if I can.
While I have the grill hot, I like to toast some thick sliced sourdough to serve. I didn’t put croutons in this salad since I kind of, in some convoluted and slightly lazy way, consider the corn the croutons. I’ll never say no to a hunk of grilled bread, though. You can also broil or toast the slices, if you’d prefer.
In a large bowl, toss together a big blob of dressing, chopped romaine, the corn, avocado, torn strips of tofu or regular bacon – cooked, of course – cubes of pepper jack, and crumbled cotija
Serve the salad with the remaining dressing on the side and the bread!
Leftovers? The Caesar salad will keep well if you don’t toss everything with the dressing. If you plan on leftovers, add dressing to your individual servings as you eat. The assembled dish otherwise will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Cotija substitute? Feta works great, or parmesan in a pinch. The cotija gives the whole assembly more of a “street corn” vibe, though, so I’d grab some if able!
Enjoy, friends!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Corn p0rn:
White Street Corn Dip Chili Chowder
Chipotle Street Corn Dip Pasta Salad
Jerk Salmon with Creamy Corn Risotto
fiesta street corn dip caesar salad
Ingredients
- 3 ears yellow corn, husks removed
- 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 5-6 strips tofu bacon (see note), or regular bacon
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 cup pepper jack cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, sliced
- grilled or toasted bread, for serving
caesar dressing
- 3/4 cup vegan or regular mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup fresh parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Place the corn cobs on the grates and cook 10-12 minutes total, turning every 2 minutes or so to char each side. Let cool, then use a sharp serrated knife to slice off the kernels. This may be messy so don't say I didn't warn you!
- In the bowl of a food processor, combine the mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, anchovy paste, dijon mustard, and parmesan cheese, as well as a pinch of salt and pepper. Blitz until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Add the romaine, corn kernels, bacon, avocado, pepper jack, cotija, and the pepper to a large bowl. Slap in 1/3 cup of the dressing and toss to combine.
- Divide into bowls and serve with extra dressing on the side, and the grilled or toasted bread.
Notes
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Drain and press a block of extra firm tofu to remove excess water for about 5-10 minutes. I make a homemade press by placing paper towels on a large plate, then the tofu, then more towels, another plate, and a skillet.
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Slice the tofu very thin (as thin as you can without breaking it) and place onto the baking sheet.
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In a small bowl, whisk 1/3 cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp chili powder, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Pour over the tofu and, using a basting brush, coat each slice. Flip, and brush the sauce over the opposite side. Let sit while the oven heats.
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Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once halfway through baking time. Let cool on the baking sheet: the tofu will continue to crisp up.
