Street Corn. With Ska.

Fresh summer corn, grilled.  Cilantro, salty cheese crumbles, red onion, hot chili powder.  Juicy lime slice.  Get it?   A fun funky dish, tastes like a Sublime or Mighty Mighty Bosstones song.  So pop in some Ska and let’s get it on.

The Prep:

• Blanch (boil very briefly) fresh shucked summer corn.  Dry ears.
• Right before service, toast ears over gas burner or on grill.  Here I did it on my stovetop burner.  Just lay them right on the burner, and turn with tongs as they start to brown.  There may be some noise.  Relax, it will be fine.
• Brush with mayo (like with a pastry brush).  I used the new olive oil mayo they have now, it was good.  This makes the cheese stick to the corn.   So don’t skip it, people.
• Roll in finely crumbled feta.  Yes, feta.  I’ve tried the cotija, which is presumably more authentic, but the cotija you get here has a weird texture.  Go with the feta.
• Sprinkle with finely chopped red onion (really fine, otherwise it falls off) and lots of fresh chopped cilantro.  Shake over the whole shebang with hot chili powder.
• Serve with a few wedges of fresh lime.  This is critical to the proceedings.

The Takeaway:

What a fun dish this time of year.  In the nascent summer, we are obliged to have our corn with just a smear of butter and a throw of crunchy kosher salt.  But summer’s long in the tooth, people.  Time to get a little cheeky with our corn before it’s all over!