Name: Creamy Elote Pasta Salad
Total time: 45 min
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 1 pound fusilli; ¾ teaspoon table salt, divided, plus salt for cooking pasta; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 6 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (4½ cups); ¾ cup mayonnaise; ¾ cup sour cream; ¾ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, divided; 3 tablespoons lime juice (2 limes), plus extra for seasoning; 4 scallions, sliced thin, divided; 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced; 1½ teaspoons chili powder; 4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (½ cup)

Why This Recipe Works

We wanted this pasta salad to capture all the bold flavors of elote—a Mexican street snack of grill-charred corn on the cob slathered with mayonnaise, herbs, cheese, lime, and chili powder. To mimic the smokiness of the grilled corn, we char fresh kernels in a skillet until well browned. For the sauce, we use equal amounts of mayonnaise and sour cream for richness and tang and then add in chili powder, lime, and minced serranos; the nooks and crannies of fusilli pasta hold the sauce perfectly. It’s all topped off with crumbled queso fresco, cilantro, and scallions.

Before You Begin

For the best flavor, we recommend using fresh corn, but you can substitute an equal amount of thawed frozen corn; pat the corn dry before adding it to oil in step 2. We like serranos chiles here, but you can swap in jalepeños.

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add 1 pound fusilli and 1 tablespoon table salt and cook, stirring often, until pasta is tender throughout, 2 to 3 minutes past al dente. Drain pasta and rinse under cold water until chilled. Drain well and transfer to large bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add 4½ cups corn kernels and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and spotty brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer corn to bowl with pasta.

Add ¾ cup mayonnaise; ¾ cup sour cream; ½ cup cilantro, chopped; 3 tablespoons lime juice; 2 thinly sliced scallions; 2 seeded and minced serranos; 1½ teaspoons chili powder; and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Season with salt and extra lime juice to taste. Transfer pasta salad to large platter and sprinkle with ½ cup crumbled queso fresco, remaining 2 thinly sliced scallions, and remaining ¼ cup cilantro, chopped. Serve. (Pasta salad can be refrigerated for up to 3 days).