There comes a time in everyone's life where corn just becomes another boring, plain vegetable we throw on the table as a side dish because we lack the motivation to jazz it up at all. Sure, it's fairly healthy and only needs a touch of salt to be considered edible, but why not mimic our international friends and take corn to a whole new level. Whether you try Korean Cheesy Corn, Mexican-Style Elote, or even Bacon-Fried Street Corn, the options are limitless using such a simple base ingredient. Today's recipe, Jalapeno Popper Corn Salad, combines that same basic corn with spicy pepper and smokey bacon flavors mixed into a creamy sauce that is absolutely amazing served chilled! It only takes a few ingredients and a little imagination to elevate your next dinner or backyard barbecue with that old fashioned corn....Let's Get Cooking!
The first step in making this Jalapeno Popper Corn Salad is to roast the corn. Canned corn can be substituted for fresh of course, especially during the winter months, but if possible, try to start with fresh ears of corn straight from the fields! Soak the corn in the husks in your sink full of water for a half an hour or so to prevent them from burning during the grilling process. Once well soaked, turn your grill on Medium to Medium-High and place the corn directly on the grates. Cook each side for about 4 minutes, totaling 16 minutes for each ear of corn.
Once cooked, remove the corn from the grill and set aside momentarily to slightly cool. While the corn is cooling, slice a large onion into rings and place them on the grill along with some jalapenos. Grill the onion and peppers until slightly charred, which should take about 5 minutes. Once charred, remove and set aside.
The corn should have cooled enough to handle by now, so peel back the husks and return the corn to the grill to slightly char. You can remove the husks entirely, but they make a great handle for turning the corn every minute or 2 while charring. Obviously, this charring step for the corn, onion, and jalapenos can be skipped, but it adds a ton of flavor and extra depth that really elevates this simple corn salad dish.
Once everything is charred and cooled, slice off the kernels from the cob as well as dice up the onion and jalapenos. Pro tip, to cut the kernels of corn off the cob without having them go all over your countertop, place a small bowl upside down in the bottom of a large bowl. Rest one end of the corn on the small bowl and slice down the ear. The kernels should bounce off the small bowl and remain in the large bowl.
Combine the corn, onion, and jalapenos with the sour cream, mayonnaise, softened cream cheese, both shredded cheeses, cumin, smoked paprika, granulated garlic, chili powder, and about 3/4 of the crumbled bacon. Reserve the rest of the bacon for serving. Mix well and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two, but overnight is best to allow the flavors to fully meld together.
Serve the Jalapeno Popper Corn Salad cold and top with the bacon crumbles and green onion, if you wish. This corn side dish is excellent year-round, but using fresh summer sweet corn really sets it apart during barbecue season. The sour cream, mayo, and cream cheese really cool off the peppers so this dish remains kid-friendly, but I probably wouldn't tell them about the jalapenos or they will overexaggerate the spiciness, like kids tend to do. This corn will pair with just about any meal so next time you want to elevate your family dinner or barbecue, be sure to remember this Jalapeno Popper Corn Salad recipe....Just Keep Cooking!
JALAPENO POPPER CORN SALAD