ESQUITES CON SALSA DE TOTOPOS

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Esquites con Salsa de Totopos image

If you can't eat just one tortilla chip, this is the salsa of your dreams. It transforms chips into a nutty, saucy topping for Mexican-style street corn.

Provided by Paola Briseño-González

Categories     Corn     Mayonnaise     Lime     Olive Oil     Peanut     Sesame     Lunch     Side     Appetizer     Summer     Picnic     Soy Free     Wheat/Gluten-Free     Tortillas     snack     Backyard BBQ

Yield 8 Servings

Number Of Ingredients 15

Esquites
Kosher salt
8 ears of corn, husked
½ cup crema mexicana or crème fraîche
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 oz. Cotija cheese, crumbled
Juice of 4 key limes or 1 lime
Salsa and assembly
4 cups tortilla chips (about 4 oz.)
8 large guajillo chiles (about 2½ oz.)
2 dried chiles de árbol
1¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds
1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

Steps:

  • Esquites
  • Bring a large stockpot of generously salted water to a boil. Place corn in pot, cover with a heavy plate to keep corn submerged, and remove pot from heat. Let corn sit until kernels are tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and transfer corn to a large bowl; let cool.
  • Stir crema, mayonnaise, and 2 Tbsp. water in a medium bowl to combine, then mix in Cotija; season with salt. Cover and chill crema mixture until ready to serve.
  • Salsa and assembly
  • Crush tortilla chips very coarsely in a large resealable plastic bag. Set aside.
  • Remove stems from guajillo and árbol chiles. Cut open with kitchen shears and scrape out most of the seeds and strings with your hands (wear disposable food-grade gloves if you have them). Break chiles into about ¼" pieces.
  • Heat oil over low in a medium saucepan. Drop in a peanut and when oil starts bubbling gently around it, carefully add remaining peanuts. Cook, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 4 minutes. Add chiles and cook, stirring, until chiles starting to darken and puff, about 1 minute. Let cool 10 minutes.
  • Transfer mixture to a food processor and process until peanuts and chiles are finely ground, about 2 minutes. Add sesame seeds, 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¾ tsp. Morton salt, and reserved tortilla chips. Pulse 3 times, just to combine (you want to preserve texture of sesame seeds and chips). Transfer salsa to a medium bowl and let cool. (The chile-peanut mixture will sink to the bottom while the chips stay afloat.)
  • Cut corn in half crosswise and stand upright. Slice away kernels in wide sheets with a sharp knife, using a gentle sawing motion. Transfer corn to a large platter. Drizzle 2 Tbsp. lime juice over and sprinkle with salt. Spoon reserved crema mixture on top, then spoon ½ cup salsa over, making sure to dig out some chile-peanut mixture along with some chips; reserve remaining salsa for another use. Drizzle remaining lime juice over. Taste and season with more salt if needed. Do ahead: Salsa (without chips) can be made 1 month ahead. Cover and chill. Add chips up to 1 day ahead.

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