Also known as Esquites, Mexican Street Corn Salad is smoky, spicy and tangy all wrapped up in one dish! A salad like no other, this recipe tastes just like Mexican corn on the cob!
Top it with cotija cheese, guacamole, and pair with some jicama fries – whatever you choose, you’ll be happy you stopped here!
Table of Contents
What is Mexican Street Corn Salad?
It’s a salad made up of sauteed corn, onions, chilies and salt! Mexican street corn salad or Esquite, is best served in a cup and topped with anything from lime juice, chili powder, hot sauce, to salt, and mayo.
Ingredients
- corn kernels
- olive oil
- red bell pepper
- red onion
- fresh cilantro
- green onions
- jalapeno pepper
- avocado
- lime juice
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- cotija cheese
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Cut the corn off the cob, or use canned or frozen corn.
- Preheat the oil on the stove at high heat. Stir in the corn and cook for about 3- 5 minutes or until the corn starts to char. Add an extra few minutes to the cooking time if you’re using frozen corn.
- Transfer to a large bowl and cool for a few minutes.
- After it has cooled, add the remaining ingredients. Stir well! Adjust the amount of lime juice and salt and pepper to your taste.
- Garnish with more cheese and cilantro.
Tips For The Best Mexican Street Corn
- Aim to use mature corn, however fresh corn can also be used.
- Grill your corn first as it will add a distinctive flavor to your dish.
- Customize this recipe by using your favorite vegetables.
How to Store Mexican Street Corn Salad
All you have to do to keep this salad fresh, is store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
What is an Elote Made of?
Just like Esquite, Elote is made with sauteed corn on the cob, mayo, and seasoned with chili powder and fresh lime juice, with cotija cheese and cilantro sprinkled on top. It’s easily the perfect summer salad whenever you’re looking for a Mexican inspired meal.
Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups corn kernels cut from the cob
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- 1/2 red onion chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 5 green onions chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper diced
- 1/2 avocado chopped
- 4 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Cut the corn off the cob, or use canned or frozen corn.
- Preheat the oil on the stove at high heat. Stir in the corn and cook for about 3- 5 minutes or until the corn starts to char. Add an extra few minutes to the cooking time if you’re using frozen corn.
- Transfer to a large bowl and cool for a few minutes.
- After it has cooled, add the remaining ingredients. Stir well! Adjust the amount of the lime juice and salt and pepper to your taste.
- Garnish with more cheese and cilantro.
Notes
- Substitute feta cheese if you don’t have cotija cheese.
When I look at the recipe and picture they are not the same recipe says to have some char on the corn and the picture has no char on the corn? I want to try your recipe looks good but at the same time I would like to do it your way the first time so I can see if I like it. after that I may change it a little to fit my taste.
Excellent! Used yellow and red peppers. Served with Carne Asada and brown rice.
Enjoyed this recipe — I altered it a bit as follows:
1. Roasted the corn on the cob under the broiler for a little more char.
2. Substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
3. Added some tajin seasoning & lime zest.
Great side to have on taco night!
I too altered it a bit…. used plain Greek yogurt….tripled amount of sour cream and doubled the yogurt. Also doubled the seasonings and also added chili powder and cayenne. Then I made bow tie pasta, let it cool and added it to the mixture – sooo good and made a meal with corn bread and 7 layer dip.
I made this recipe to accompany “street tacos”. It was excellent in terms of flavor and as a complementary side dish. Two takeaways: First, the recipe has it serves 4. I served it to 6 adults for dinner and we have at least 1/3 left so 4 servings would be huge portions. Secondly, 10 minutes of prep time is not even close to being realistic. The dish start to finish took me 55 min., not 20 and I had all ingredients out on the counter when I started timing. I am a very experienced cook who actively cooks everyday. It was a good thing I started early.
Great recipe! I didn’t add the Mayo and I added no salt. Extra lime juice and extra cilantro worked well for our family. YUMMY!!!!!!
Thanks for your feedback!