![Elotes (Grilled Corn With Cheese, Lime and Chile)](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2016/08/25/multimedia/clark-grilled-corn/clark-grilled-corn-mediumThreeByTwo440-v2.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad With Feta Dressing
![Grilled Corn and Avocado Salad With Feta Dressing](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2020/06/28/dining/sl-corn-and-avocado-salad/sl-corn-and-avocado-salad-articleLarge-v2.jpg?width=1280&quality=75&auto=webp)
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 6ears corn (about 3 pounds), shucked and silk removed
- 1bunch scallions (about 6), trimmed
- 1jalapeño, stemmed and halved lengthwise
- 3tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 4ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup)
- ⅓cup buttermilk
- 1teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1small garlic clove, grated
- ¼cup sliced fresh chives
- ¼cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1medium head romaine lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
- 2avocados, sliced
Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Brush corn, scallions and jalapeño with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until corn kernels are browned in spots, 6 to 8 minutes, and the scallions and jalapeño are charred all over and tender, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, using a whisk, mash the feta into a coarse paste. Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest and juice and garlic, then stir in chives and parsley. Finely chop the charred jalapeño and stir it into the feta dressing; season with salt and pepper.
- Step 3
In a large bowl, toss lettuce with half the feta dressing and arrange on a platter. Cut corn kernels off the cob and slice scallions into bite-size pieces. Arrange avocado slices, corn and scallions on top of the lettuce. Serve with remaining dressing.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Unless you have a blazing hot grill, the kernels will cook limp as they darken. Haul out your trusty black iron frying pan, the big one, and get it sizzling hot. Cut the kernels off the cob and mix them around with a wooden spoon as they darken. They'll still have a bit of crunch.
This was soooo good! I loved the flavor layers. The dressing alone could play host to endless possibilities. Grilling veg brings out the flavor, don't skip. I think a nice dino kale, in addition to romaine would be even lovelier. Romaine got a little soggy for me, maybe just use the hearts? Such a versatile salad! I added Fregola Sarda pasta on leftovers! When I make this again, I'm going to use kale, watermelon radish, tomatoes, pepitas & a grain. however, on its own totally outta sight.
Amazing recipe! Have made it twice, here are my recommended changes: - ***kale instead of romaine*** (this is a must. I don’t think romanie suits this salad at all) - sub cilantro for parsley for more flavor direction - use greek yogurt instead of buttermilk & add lemon juice
We used goat cheese instead of feta and added fresh basil instead of parsley. Cooked steak tips on the stovetop and added to salad. Spicy, creamy, crunchy and light. Amazing
Save the money on buttermilk and add extra lemon juice (already in the recipe) to regular milk or cream
Double down on the corn by holding the corn upright in a large bowl and scraping the cobs with the back of a knife after cutting off the kernels. Make the dressing in that same bowl with all the corn juice and bits.
As a vegan variant, I used unsweetened soy milk plus a but more salt in the roasting. Agree with the other comment that the grilling is key!
Really, really good! This caught up with me in that very brief period (week or two? in mid-August) when Hatch peppers from New Mexico are available. Brushed one generously with garlicky EVO instead of Jalapeño and grilled it. Also tossed in some farmers market cherry tomatoes. We ate this with Naan also brushed with rest of that oil and heated on the grill. What a superb harvest dinner...
I agree with doubling the dressing just so you have leftovers. I tried with a hatch chili but it wasn't as good as the jalapeno was. Also be sure to use block feta instead of already crumbled feta for a smoother texture. The anti-caking agents can make it a little weird in dressing if you use the already crumbled stuff.
This is delicious. I made it mostly per recipe - I had no buttermilk so added a bit more lemon juice and used regular milk and sour cream. I also used freeze-dried chives because thats all I had. The suggestion to add the romaine separately led me to toss the romaine and chunks of avocado together in a separate bowl, and then pile the warm corn and peppers and scallions on top. I served this with a couple of slabs of blackened mahi mahi since. Impressive and easy after work.
If you have a gas stove, just roast the corn and pepper right over the flame.
This is delicious. I used only 3 ears of corn and 1 large avocado, which was plenty of both. I used an immersion blender on the dressing, stirring in the herbs at the end. About 2 T additional buttermilk and 1 tsp of olive oil were needed to make the dressing fluid. I took this dish to an al fresco dinner; brought the elements in separate containers, shook lettuce and 1/2 dressing in a plastic bag, and assembled the salad on a platter at the picnic table. Everyone loved it.
Double the amount of dressing. Consider only using one or 1.5 avocados. Dill is a good sub for chives. Fresh croutons wild be good, as would toasted pine nuts.
I cheated with Trader Joe's frozen charred kernels and cooked the jalapeno and green onion on a hot pan with high fan/windows open. This dressing is killer and it made for an awesome dinner on a hot, hot summer day.
Lacking a grill, we put corn, onions, and pepper under the broiler, giving corn some extra time to get properly browned. Turned out great with a surprisingly rich flavor.
So good. Followed advice and used juice of a whole lemon with milk in place of buttermilk. Went with kale instead of romaine, as it holds up well for leftovers, and I can just work on it over a few days. Made the dressing in the bowl, threw in all the ingredients, and tossed it all together. Six ears of corn seemed like too much—2 big ears was plenty. Will want to use that grilled jalapeño and green onions technique in future for many things! Would be great as a meal with grilled shrimp.
Used feta brine and a little yogurt instead of buttermilk. Trader Joe's cruciferous crunch salad mix (shredded red/green cabbage, Brussels, kale) instead of romaine.
So good, and worth the effort! Dressing needed more milk/buttermilk. Serves more like 6 - 8 as written.
I swapped the parsley for cilantro and lemon for lime. Even my husband loved it and he hates when I make salads for dinner. I added grilled blackened chicken on top. Obsessed with this combo!
I was quite disappointed by this one, unfortunately. It lacked the level of flavor and excitement I’ve come to expect from highly ranked NYT recipes!
I love this recipe! It is great for a last minute summer salad and can be paired with any grilled protein. I substitute kale for the romaine and use milk and a little bit of European style yogurt in lieu of buttermilk.
This was dope, although in the tradition of NYTCooking commenters let me say that I changed practically everything: boiled and then pan-seared the corn with red bell pepper, subbed yogurt and dill in the dressing, chopped in some fresh cucumber at the end, and served over arugula. This recipe was pure inspiration, not instructions, for me last night but it resulted in a delicious dinner outside my tiny house with homemade peach kombucha and my best friend there besides. Happy august, y’all!
I made this for just two of us so cut portion size on most ingredients but next time I will grill two jalapeño instead of a half, also will use cilantro instead of parsley. And next time will try arugula and pine nuts. So delicious - husband loved it!
I always use Trader Joe’s frozen super sweet corn in recipes calling for any corn off the cob. For this I’d recommend their fire-roasted corn as a convenient and perfect alternative.
Amazing salad. Added grilled chicken, subbed buttermilk for Greek yogurt and lemon. my dad grilled and chopped (it was important to him that I put that here).
Great salad! *Substitutions alert* I decided to sub cotija for feta, lime for lemon, and cilantro for herbs (much less) to go with a southwest flavor, and added head of lacinato/dino kale, only 3 large corn cobs (what I had), all with same dressing amount tossed at once. Delicious! Lots of compliments at a BBQ.
Creamy and delicious. Left out kale, added cherry tomatoes because, summer. Turned leftover into a farro salad.
Used leftover charred corn from a dinner party. Also added grilled squash and eggplant. The dressing really pulled it all together.
Good recipe. Made on a weeknight and didn’t have time to “train” the tortillas first. Still turned out pretty good.
Lovely salad. Cheated by buying frozen grilled corn and pre chopped romaine. Dressing was delicious.
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