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–+ servings

Mexican Street Corn Salad with Cumin-dusted Pork Chops

Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • 1 cutting board
  • 1 Chef's Knife
  • 1 Measuring cup (cup size)
  • 1 set of teaspoons
  • 2 tongs
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 rubber spatula
  • 3 Medium-sized bowls (one for washing lettuce; one for dredge; one for making dressing then adding salad mix).
  • 1 Salad spinner (for drying the washed greens and/or the cilantro).
  • 2 Saute pans (one for pork chops & one for corn/asparagus - can wash the same one instead though).
  • 1 Plate lined with paper towels (for resting/draining the pork chops).
  • 1 Large, thin, clean kitchen towel (for cutting the corn off the cob to help reduce scatter).

Ingredients
  

For the Dressing:

  • 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Cotija or Queso Fresco cheese (Crumbled)
  • 1/2 tsp Chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic salt
  • 1/4 cup Cilantro (minced or chiffonade); need more (1/2 cup extra) for garnish so prep all at once
  • 1/4 cup Fresh lime juice

For the Pork Chops:

  • 1/2 cup Avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
  • 1 pound Pork chops (4 each 1/2-inch chops)
  • 1 cup Cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 tsp Ground Coriander
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder

For the Salad:

  • 4 ears Corn on the cob (can use 2 cups frozen but NOT nearly as delicious)
  • 1 bunch Asparagus (woody ends removed and stems/tips cut into 1-inch pieces - about 1-1/4 cups)
  • 1/4 cup Avocado oil (for sauteeing corn and asparagus)
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt (for sauteed corn and asparagus)
  • 1 tsp Black pepper (for sauteed corn and asparagus)
  • 4 cups Romaine lettuce (chiffonade - see pictures below)
  • 1 cup Spinach or Kale (fine chiffonade)
  • 2 cups Red Cabbage (chiffonade - see pictures below)
  • 4 each Campari or Roma tomatoes (1/2-inch pieces)
  • 1/2 each Red Bell Pepper (3/4 cup small 1/4-inch dice)
  • 1/2 each Red Onion (3/4 cup small 1/4-inch dice)
  • 1/2 cup Extra crumbled cheese (optional)
  • 1/2 bunch Scallions (finely sliced green and white parts)
  • 1/2 cup Cilantro (either whole leaves or 1/4 cup chiffonade)
  • 1 each Avocado (diced and seasoned with lime, salt, cumin, pepper)

Instructions
 

For the Salad prep:

  • Wash, dry and cut the Romaine lettuce into a chiffonade (see pictures).
  • Wash, dry and finely chiffonade the spinach or kale after removing stems.
  • Cut the red cabbage into chiffonade (see pictures).
  • Wash and dice the additional garnish ingredients: peppers, red onion, scallions, tomatoes.
  • Juice the extra lime juice (and also what you need for the dressing at the same time).
  • Crumble the extra cheese (also what you need for the dressing at the same time).
  • Wash, dry and cut the cilantro for both the salad and the dressing.
  • Prepare the avocado last and immediately season with lime juice, salt and cumin to avoid browning and to season.
  • Shuck and wash the corn on the cob, careful to remove any corn silks.
  • Cut the corn off the cobs over the kitchen towel (see pictures below).
  • Wash and remove the woody ends of the asparagus.
  • Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.
  • Saute the corn and asparagus in 1/4 cup avocado oil; seasoning with salt and pepper; set aside.

Prepare the dressing:

  • In medium bowl, add the mayonnaise, crumbled cheese, lime juice, spices and cilantro.
  • Whisk until thoroughly mixed.
  • Leave in that bowl for now. Salad ingredients will be added to it when it is time to dress the salad.

For the pork chops:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, kosher salt and spices.
  • Preheat the saute pan to a medium high temperature.
  • Dredge the pork chops in the seasoned cornstarch.
  • Add 1/2 cup avocado oil to the pan, so it heats in an even layer.
  • When the oil is hot but not too hot (not smoking hot), add the pork chops to the pan.
  • Cook until each side is a nice golden brown color and the chops are cooked through.
  • If you have thicker chops than 1/2-inch, you may want to place the saute pan in a preheated 350 degree oven to finish the cooking. The safe internal temperature for pork chops is 145 degrees.
  • When the pork chops are done, place them on a plate lined with paper towels to allow them to rest and drain any excess fat. Optional - season lightly with additional salt, if desired.
  • After they have rested about 5-10 minutes, you can slice them with the chef's knife on the cutting board into 1/2-inch strips to garnish the top of the salad once it is made.

Make the salad:

  • To the bowl with the dressing, add the romaine, spinach and red cabbage, as well as the sauteed corn and asparagus.
  • Using a pair of tongs, toss the salad greens with the dressing until well coated.
  • Divide the salad between four serving bowls.
  • Garnish the salads with the rest of the ingredients, including the crispy cumin pork chop strips, the diced bell peppers, red onion, tomatoes, scallions, avocado, crumbled cheese, cilantro and juice the tops with a squeeze of lime.
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