Gold Medal Winning Salsa

I have been obsessed with the Olympics (or the "Bolympics" as my nephew IV refers to them) since they started last Friday. Every morning I have to drag myself out of bed trying to fight my late night hangover. I have been staying up way past my usual bed time to watch. The last time I was this in to the Olympics was in 1996 and I don't remember watching nearly as many games as I have this time around. I am even enthralled by synchronized diving. I mean who even knew that was a sport ?!?! No matter which game is on I can't seem to pry my eyes off of the TV. I think it must be my love of competition. I am very competitive and come from an extremely competitive family. We turned everything into a contest - from cleaning our rooms to who gives the best Christmas gift. Throw a scoring system or an outcome model on anything and I am game.

And if there was a salsa making contest I would definitely enter the following recipe. I made a salsa last weekend that in my opinion is the Micheal Phelps of Salsas. I have mentioned two facts in prior posts that probably contribute to my adoration for this salsa - one, I don't like tomato salsa and two, I absolutely LOVE corn. This fresh corn salsa was amazing. The Tequila Lime dressing (although mayo sounded weird on corn) was fabulous and my addition of the jalapeño pepper rounded out the sweetness of the corn.

Roasted Corn Salsa with Tequila-Lime Dressing
Recipe adapted from Emeril Lagasse

5 medium ears yellow corn, silk removed, husk intact.
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise, preferably homemade (I used Light Jarred Mayo)
2 tablespoons tequila
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup diced green onions
1/2 Serrano pepper, finely chopped (seeds included - I used a whole one)
1 Jalapeño pepper (I added this to the recipe)
1/3 cup diced red bell pepper (I used 2 whole red bell peppers)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I used parsley)
1 avocado, sliced, for garnish
Tortilla chips, for garnish

Preheat a grill to medium-high.

Soak corn in water for 5 minutes, drain and pat dry.

Lightly rub each ear of corn with 1 teaspoon of the oil and place the corn directly on the grill. Grill the corn, turning occasionally, until the kernels are lightly browned on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove and set aside until cool. When the ears have cooled, cut the kernels from the cobs and transfer to a mixing bowl.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, tequila, lime juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.

Pour the mayonnaise-tequila dressing over the cooled corn kernels. Stir in the green onions, diced serrano pepper, Jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper, and parsley.

Adjust seasonings, as needed. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

Place corn salsa in a serving bowl, garnish with avocado slices, and serve with tortilla chips.