Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn on the cob, husks removed
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• flaky sea salt
• 4 tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp soured cream
• 1 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped, plus 1 tsp of the sauce
• 1 lime, zest and juice
• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
• ½ tsp tajín, divided
• ¼ tsp fine salt
• 80 g cotija (or feta), crumbled
• 4 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 1 small bunch coriander, leaves and tender stems chopped
• 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
• 200 g tortilla chips

Method

1. Get your BBQ ripping hot or set a griddle pan over high heat for a good 5 minutes until it's almost smoking; you need fierce heat to char the corn before it overcooks and goes mealy. Rub the cobs lightly with oil and season generously with salt; dry, seasoned cobs char, wet ones steam.
2. Lay the cobs straight onto the grill bars or griddle and char hard, turning every 2 minutes, for 8–10 minutes total. You want blackened, blistered patches on every side; properly black in spots, not just golden. That char is where the smoky-sweet flavour lives, so don't pull them early.
3. While the corn chars, whisk the mayonnaise, soured cream, chopped chipotle and its adobo sauce, lime zest, lime juice, grated garlic, tajín and fine salt together in a large bowl. Taste it: punchy, smoky, tangy enough to make you wince slightly. Adjust lime or salt now.
4. Stand each charred cob upright in a wide bowl (the bowl catches the kernels and stops them pinging across the kitchen) and slice down the sides with a sharp knife to strip them off. Work close to the cob but not so close you drag up the woody bit underneath.
5. Tip the warm kernels straight into the dressing; warm corn drinks the dressing in, cold corn just sits in it. Add three-quarters of the cotija, the spring onions, most of the coriander, and the fresh chilli if using. Fold everything through, then taste and add lime or salt if needed.
6. Spoon into a serving dish, scatter the remaining cotija and coriander over the top, dust generously with extra tajín. Serve warm or at room temperature with tortilla chips alongside for scooping.