Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa Recipe PDF

This corn salsa was originally inspired by Chipotle's corn salsa, but this recipe has evolved over the last few years into something that works well on its own. It works well as a stand alone side, a lunch/meal, and a great addition to tacos. Download the recipe above... and view the journey below. 

Important note -- the batch pictured was a QUADRUPLE batch. 

Ingredients:

4 ears (sweet) corn on the cob
2 medium jalapenos 

½ red onion

½ cup cilantro                                    

2 decent sized limes                                                        

½ teaspoon salt                                 

½ teaspoon pepper

• Ingredient amounts above are for one batch. For ease of ingredient shopping, double the batch. It makes life considerably easier.
• Frozen corn cobs can be used, fresh is best. 

Suggested Tools

• Food Processor
• Outdoor Grill
• BIG mixing bowl
• Latex/Plastic Gloves. Use them. 

Prep Work

• Clean/shuck the corn, clean/prep the vegetables. 

Grill Work

• Grill the corn lightly, but enough to establish a good char. Overall, you want about a third of the kernels to be charred. Once grilled, set aside and let it cool. Do NOT wash it with cold water to cool it... just let it sit 5-10 minutes.

 

Prep Elements

• While the corn is cooling, prep the other elements of the salsa. 

• Wash the jalapenos, cut in half (long way), remove stem and seeds. Note -- you can leave the seeds in if you want some heat in the salsa. 

• Once the jalapenos are prepped, check the corn. If it is cooled down, you can start shaving it. The trick I use is to use a corn cob holder in one end (which I hold), but the other end down in the bowl, and use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off. Make sure not to cut too deep, as you don't want chunks of the hard cob in your salsa. 

• As you cut the corn off, try to keep all the bits and juice in a/the bowl. In my example, I used a separate bowl (since I had 16 ears of corn to cut) and would dump every 3 or 4 cobs worth into the big bowl. As you finish a cob, set it aside... you will come back to it. 

• Once all the corn cobs are shaved, take each one and plant it in the middle of your corn. Use a fork to rake up and down the cob to release any kernel chunks or any corn juice that is still in the cob. Use decent pressure and normally just one good rake over each side is enough. Once that is done, toss the cob and set the bowl of corn aside. 

• Continue prepping the cilantro and onion for the food processor. On the cilantro, chop off the stems and do a rough chop/dice (but not too big). For the onion, do a rough chop. Note -- chopped onions will draw tears. Use a tea light on the cutting board to help. 

• For the food processing, I tend to layer all three in the food processor in thirds. Do a good pulse/chop to get everything well processed and a good size. I tend to put it on high and then shake the hell out of it to get everything chopped (I'm looking at you onions!). 
•  A word of warning -- food processing onions/jalapenos will bring tears/stinging when you open the lid and/or dump into the mixing bowl. Don't put your face near it... it huuuuuurts!

• Once everything is processed, dump it in to the mixing bowl on top of the corn. See warning above. No face melting!

• Once everything is in the BIG mixing bowl, prep and then juice the limes directly into the bowl. 

• Once all of the limes have been juiced, do a very thorough mix of the salsa. Make sure to scrape and mix of everything, grabbing all the Klingons on the side of the bowl. Once well mixed, it's done!

Final Thoughts

• This salsa is best if you make it ahead of time. Minimum of several hours, best if it is the day before. Store it in an airtight container, refrigerate, and shake the hell out it before opening/serving. 
• Serving Options:
• Add in an avocado or two and mix well. The lime juice will keep the avocado from going brown. This makes a great side for a lunch or eaten with chips (scoops!).
• Add in a grilled meat... I prefer grilled chicken or a grilled sausage/wiener. 
• Add in with tacos or burritos for a nice additional flavor. 
• I normally can these using a water bath. There have been instances of the red onion bleeding a bit, but otherwise it keeps well when sealed/canned properly.