Grilled Corn, Tomato & Poblano Pasta Salad with Elote Dressing
This is late summer in a bowl. Sweet farmers-market corn, juicy cherry tomatoes and smoky poblano peppers are grilled until lightly charred, then tossed with orecchiette, cotija and a creamy lime dressing inspired by elote. It’s colorful, fresh, a little smoky and exactly what I want to make when the farmers market is at its peak.
Equipment
- grill or grill pan
- medium and large bowl
Ingredients
Salad
- 12 ounces orecchiette pasta prepared according to package directions and allowed to come to room temperature
- vegetable oil
- 5 to 6 ears of sweet corn
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 4 scallions
- 1 large poblano chili pepper or 2 small
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese reserve 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Dressing
- ⅓ cup Mexican crema
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus more for garnish
- zest and juice of one lime
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- a few pinches of smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat grill to 400°F. Brush corn, poblano and scallions with vegetable oil. Grill corn, turning regularly until lightly charred. Reserve. Grill poblano until skin is blackened and blistered. Grill scallions until charred. Place tomatoes in a grill basket and grill until charred, turning occasionally.
- Cut the corn from the cob. Peel the poblano and remove skin and seeds, dice into ¼”. (See note.) Slice the scallion into ⅛” slices.
- Add cooked pasta to a large bowl. Add corn, tomatoes, poblano and scallions and accumulated juices. Toss to combine. Let stand for ½ an hour,
- Add dressing ingredients to a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add cotija cheese to pasta along with half of the dressing and toss to combine. Add more dressing as desired.
- For serving sprinkle with reserved cotija cheese and cilantro.
Notes
* For poblanos, remove the blistered poblano from the grill and place it in a zip-top bag, a bowl covered with a dish towel or a small paper bag. Seal it and let it steam for 10 minutes. Remove the pepper(s) and use a paper towel to remove the skin. Slice the pepper open, scrape out the seed and the ribs with a spoon.