Tex-Mex Fiesta Corn Salad
Somewhere between esquites and a church-supper casserole sits the Texas corn salad, often called Frito corn salad, a bowl of corn, peppers, and cheese bound in mayonnaise and finished with a crushed handful of corn chips. This version keeps the sweet-and-smoky center and rebuilds the rest from whole foods: charred corn for depth, plant yogurt and nutritional yeast for the creamy cheddar tang, and roasted hominy for the salty crunch the chips used to bring. Lime and a soaked red onion carry it in place of salt, and a minced jalapeno keeps it lively. Make it a couple hours ahead, but crown it with the crunchy hominy only as it goes to the table.
Ingredients
- 3 cups Frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
- 3/4 cup Hominy, drained and patted dry
- 1 whole Bell peppers, red, finely diced
- 1 whole Jalapeño, seeded and minced
- 1/4 whole Red onions, finely minced
- 3 wholes Scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1/3 cup Plain plant yogurt
- 2 tbsp Lime juice
- 2 tbsp Nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp Cumin seed, ground
- 1/4 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
Method
- Spread the drained hominy on a lined tray and roast at 425 F (220 C), shaking once, until dry and crunchy, about 20 minutes, then cool. This is the trick that replaces the handful of Fritos the Texas version leans on: nixtamalized corn roasted hard gives the same salty-tasting crunch with no fried chip in sight.
- While the hominy roasts, char the corn in a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat, stirring only occasionally, until spots of it blacken, about 6 minutes. Patting the corn dry first and leaving it alone lets it blister instead of steam, and that char is the smoky depth of the whole salad.
- Soak the minced red onion in the lime juice for 5 minutes while the corn cools. The acid mellows the raw onion and, along with the lime, does the seasoning job that salt otherwise would.
- In a bowl fold the cooled charred corn with the bell pepper, jalapeno, scallions, cilantro, plant yogurt, nutritional yeast, cumin, black pepper, and the lime-soaked onion. Yogurt and nutritional yeast rebuild the creamy, cheesy tang the classic gets from mayonnaise and cheddar, with almost none of the fat.
- Fold in most of the toasted hominy just before serving and scatter the rest on top. Held back to the end, the hominy stays crunchy; stirred in early it softens, so keep the crown for the moment it hits the table.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 140 calories, 5 g protein, 4 g fiber, 90 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
