Clean and oil cooking grate. Prepare grill pan or grill fire (for direct grilling over medium-high heat 450°F). Brush corn with butter. Transfer corn to grill for (5-7) minutes on each side (approx. total up to 20 min) or until char marks form. Remove from grill and allow to cool. Use a sharp knife to slice off the kernels.
Chili Lime Mayo
In a medium bowl, whisk together chili lime mayo ingredients. Refrigerate until ready for use.
Assemble Salad
To a large bowl add grilled corn, Cotija cheese, cilantro, garlic, chili lime mayo, and toss. Taste and season the salad with additional salt and pepper as desired. Sprinkle chili powder over the top and serve.
If you don’t have a grill you can prepare corn stove top with a grill pan or cast iron skillet. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add corn and turn every 3-5 minutes (up to 15 minutes) until corn is well charred all over.
Tajin Substitute:
If you don’t have Tajin I would substitute with a mix of 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of lemon pepper, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt.
Variation:
Add 1 chopped and seeded jalapeno to salad for extra spice