Grilled Corn Salad — The Side That Earned Its Spot on the Father’s Day Spread

Father's Day. I got breakfast in bed, which is the family tradition since Diego was old enough to understand the concept. This year: Diego made scrambled eggs — correctly, low heat, constant stirring, a technique I've been teaching him and which he's now gotten right two weeks in a row. Sofia made toast and orange juice. The twins presented me with a bowl of cereal and a card that said "Happy Fathers Day Dad" with a drawing of what I believe is a football but looks more like a brown oval in crisis. I told them it was the greatest football I'd ever seen. Marco beamed. Elena said, "It's not really a football." Marco looked at her. She said, "It's a really good oval." This is their dynamic exactly.

Called my father first thing after breakfast. He answered immediately. I said happy Father's Day. He said, "You remembered." I said I remembered every year. He said, "Some years you remember late." This is true. I asked how he was feeling. He said better. We talked about Diego's camp registration, about the routes in the backyard. Hector was quiet for a moment and then said, "Bring him to Las Cruces in July. I want to see him." Specifically Diego. I understood. The lineage is important to him. He wants to see it continuing.

I grilled for the family and called it Father's Day my way: carne asada, grilled corn with chile lime butter, calabacitas, flour tortillas on the grill. The grill was going for three hours. Lisa brought out a chair and sat in the yard while the kids ran through the sprinkler. Sofia and I had a conversation about college — she's seven and not going for eleven years yet she already has opinions about biology versus chemistry. I told her she had time. She said, "I know. I'm just thinking ahead." She is absolutely her mother's daughter.

This was a good Father's Day. Not dramatic, not for the highlight reel. Just four kids who made me breakfast, a father I got to talk to, a grill that was hot, and a Sunday that moved at exactly the right speed. Some days the ordinary is everything.

The grill was already going for three hours, and the corn was the thing everyone kept sneaking back to — even before the carne asada was rested and sliced. I’ve done grilled corn with chile lime butter plenty of times, but this Father’s Day I cut it off the cob and turned it into a salad so we could actually serve it alongside everything else without handing six-year-olds a full cob to chase around the yard. It was the right call. Sofia had two helpings and then asked if the cotija was a kind of science. I said kind of. She seemed satisfied with that.

Grilled Corn Salad with Chile Lime Butter

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 6 ears fresh corn, husked
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the grill. Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, around 400°F. Brush the grates clean and oil them lightly.
2. Grill the corn. Brush each ear of corn lightly with olive oil and season with salt. Grill, turning every 3–4 minutes, until kernels are charred in spots and tender throughout, about 12–15 minutes total. Set aside to cool slightly.
3. Make the chile lime butter. While the corn grills, mix the softened butter with chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne (if using), lime zest, and a pinch of salt until combined.
4. Cut the corn. Stand each ear upright in a large bowl and slice the kernels off the cob using a sharp knife, letting them fall directly into the bowl.
5. Toss and dress. Add the chile lime butter to the warm corn and toss until melted and evenly coated. Squeeze the lime juice over the top and stir to combine.
6. Finish the salad. Fold in the red bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and lime juice as needed.
7. Top and serve. Transfer to a serving dish and scatter the crumbled cotija generously over the top. Serve warm or at room temperature alongside carne asada and flour tortillas.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 195 | Protein: 5g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 230mg