The thing that makes this salad well-nigh irresistible is the corn. We cut it off the cob and pan-roast it, so it’s just slightly blackened but still very crisp. Mixed in with the peppery radish, salty cotija cheese, creamy avocados, fresh tomatoes, and Tajín seasoning, it adds a sweet pop and a delightful texture — add the crema, and the dish almost feels more like a salsa than a traditional salad.

You can eat it with a fork, but it’s that much more satisfying scooped up in a crisp, salty tortilla chip. (Especially since, if you’re like us, you kind of want to shove it all in your mouth at once.) While you’re at it, put the leftover cilantro crema in a little bowl and set it right on the table, so you can dip into it.

Our tip: What this snack salad needs is a nice cold beer! We like it with something light and not too overbearing in the alcohol department, like a Corona with lime.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

4 ears corn, shucked and kernels cut off

1 Tbsp Tajín seasoning

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

3 small radishes cut into small wedges

½ cup green onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, diced small

½ cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

½ jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and diced small

1 avocado, diced

½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. In a medium sauté pan, heat the grapeseed oil over high heat. Add the corn kernels and toss, cooking until the corn is roasted and dark in some spots.
2. Sprinkle the corn with Tajín seasoning and sauté for 2 more minutes.
3. Transfer the corn to a bowl and let it cool. Once it’s cool to the touch, add in the cilantro, radishes, green onion, bell pepper, tomato, and jalapeño. Toss the ingredients together.
4. Top with diced avocado and cotija cheese, and then drizzle cilantro crema (recipe below) over it.

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Cilantro Crema

Ingredients

½ cup mayo

½ cup crema or crème fraîche

½ lime, juiced

1 tsp adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce)

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

1 tsp Tajín seasoning

¼ tsp salt

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients.
2. Use immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. We sometimes like to keep our crema in a squeeze bottle, so we can make fancy squiggles on our salads and tacos. If you want to put yours in a squeeze bottle, make sure you chop your cilantro very fine, so it doesn’t clog up the bottle.