Burrito Salad with BBQ'd Corn Salsa

In Australia, we make just about the worst Mexican food on the planet. It's usually a soggy, refried bean sloppy mess covered in cheese (Old El Paso anyone...?). Sadly this means many people think they don't like Mexican food without ever really experiencing it. I haven't actually been to Mexico - but in Canada Mexican food is everywhere and it's often fresh, interesting and delicious. Even their standard pub nachos are 100 x better than any Mexican meal I've had in Australia.

 

Like many international cuisines, I think the key to great Mexican is having a variety of flavours and textures on you plate. I started out making this burrito salad with chilli con carne as an alternative to just eating it with a big pile of rice and nothing else. These days I often omit the beef all together and eat is a vegetarian meal. Today I made it with a spicy beef kebab - therefore the word Mexican it used rather loosely with regards to the beef part of the meal, but I think the flavours still worked pretty well.

 

BBQ'd Corn Salsa

 

1 avocado

1 cob corn

juice of 1/2 lime

1 spring onion

1/4 of a red onion

1 tomato de-seeded

handful of fresh coriander

1 chilli (optional)

 

 

Cooking corn on the BBQ makes it smokey and sweet. I know some people think you need to soak corn overnight before BBQing - I don't. I just peal off the husk and put it on a low heat for about 30 minutes, turning frequently. If you rub a little oil on it, it will cook quicker, but I prefer not to. Don't worry if some kernels burn a little, it just adds more flavour.

 

While the corn is roasting away, finely dice the spring onion, red onion, tomato, coriander and fresh chilli

 

 

Once the corn is cooked, let it cool for a couple of minutes and then cut the kernels off using a sharp knife. Stir it through the rest of the salsa and then gently stir through one diced avocado and a little lime juice.

 

Spicy Beef Kebab Marinade

 

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp lemon rind

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

pinch of mixed spice

1 clove of garlic

1 spring onion

1 tsp honey

salt

 

 

Pound the chilli flakes, cumin and mixed spice in a mortar and pestle

 

Add garlic, lemon rind and spring onions to mortar and pestle and pound into a paste

 

Mix in honey, oil and salt.  I marinated about 250gm of rump steak for about an hour, then BBQ it on metal kebab sticks

 

Burrito Salad

 

BBQ'd Corn Salsa

Spicy Beef Kebab

Refried beans

Brown rice

Lettuce

Celery

Black olives

Natural yogurt