I’m telling you, this Mexican Street Corn Salad is going to steal the spotlight at all your cookouts and potlucks.
Every time you go to these gatherings, you see the usual pasta or potato salads, right? But when you bring this corn salad, everyone is going to crowd around it! It’s got those incredible flavors that only need a few simple ingredients to shine.
Trust me, give this easy salad a try. You’ll quickly see why Mexican street corn is becoming a global sensation. It’s a game changer!
Summer is fast approaching. That has me excited because it’s almost… corn season!
I love corn any which way, but lately I have been crazy about this Mexican street corn, aka elote, trend.
It seems to have appeared out of nowhere (well, Mexico actually) just a few years back. Now you can find recipes for everything from elote dip to soup to pizza to ice cream… well, you get the idea.
For my first crack at elote flavors for GypsyPlate, I am going with something a little more conventional: an easy summer salad.
What is Mexican Street Corn?
In its original form, Mexican street corn is fire roasted ears of corn seasoned with lime juice, mayo, cotija cheese and chili powder.
If you’ve never tried the combination, it may sound a little unusual. But trust me, it is A-mazing!
Ingredients
- Corn – You can use fresh, frozen or canned. Today I am using fresh.
- Olive oil – Or any other neutral oil.
- Red onion – Can be substituted with other varieties based on preference.
- Cilantro – Essential for that elote flavor.
- Jalapeño – I love it bit spicy, but adjust according to heat tolerance.
- Dressing – Sour cream, mayo, lime juice
- Cotija cheese – You can substitute feta
- Seasonings – Chili powder, paprika, salt
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Salad
First, I’m going to add some color to the corn. You could grill it or roast it in the oven, but I’m keeping it simple with a pan roast method.
I start by heating a bit of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. While that’s heating up, I cut the corn kernels off the cobs.
Once the skillet is nice and hot, I add the corn and sauté it for a few minutes to give it just a hint of caramelization.
While that’s on the burner, I chop the onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. I put everything into a bowl, reserving a bit of the cotija cheese and the paprika for garnish.
I toss it well, add the garnishes, and just like that, it’s done. How easy was that?
How to Serve It
As I mentioned, it’s equally good hot or cold. That being said, here are a few serving suggestions:
- Alongside your cookout favorites, like BBQ or burgers.
- As a dipper for some tortilla chips.
- Use it to top tacos or nachos.
- Have it on a bed of lettuce and top with grilled chicken or shrimp for a light and healthy lunch or dinner.
- Fill a bowl and chomp it down all by itself!
- Check out our collection of Mexican Recipes to find some other great mains to go with this salad.
The next time you’re in the mood for a great summer salad, go the Mexican street corn way… the elote way! Enjoy summer’s great bounty with this fresh, simple, yet incredibly tasty salad. You’ll be glad you did.
Mexican Street Corn Salad, in our Gypsy Bowl… enjoy!
Try these other great salad recipes!
Hawaiian Mac Salad
Vietnamese Chicken Salad
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Israeli Couscous Salad
Spanish Pipirrana Salad
Rainbow Pasta Salad
Balela Salad
Gado Gado
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Mexican Street Corn Salad, AKA Elote Salad, is an easy and tasty side dish that will be the new star at all of your cookouts and potlucks.
Ingredients
- 5 ears of corn, kernels removed (about 4-5 cups of kernels)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup red onion, diced
- ⅓ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1.5 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1.5 Tbsp sour cream
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- salt to taste
- ¼ tsp paprika, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add corn kernels and sauté for a few minutes, till they start to get brown highlights.
- Toss corn with remaining ingredients, reserving a little cotija cheese and the paprika for garnish.
- Add paprika and remaining cotija on top. Serve hot, or chill and serve cold.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 179Total Fat 12gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 13mgSodium 265mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 2gSugar 4gProtein 5g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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