Sweet corn, fresh veggies, and a tangy dressing marry in this Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe that will have you glad you have that spare bag of tortilla chips. It’s a versatile dish that can be served as a side on Taco Tuesday or as a dip for Cinco de Mayo. No passport is required to enjoy this delicious corn recipe.
No matter what day of the week or year, this is a tasty dish made with frozen corn and fresh veggies. Pantry staples, along with a little bit of chili-lime seasoning (Tajín), add flavor to this warm corn “salad.” If you like Mexican street food (elotes or esquites), then you are going to love this dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe For Corn Salad
- This recipe is ready in less than half an hour.
- It can be enjoyed as a side dish, on a burrito bowl or salad bowl, or as a tasty dip perfect with tortilla chips.
- The fresh flavors and creamy dressing are reminiscent of traditional street corn.
Ingredients You Need
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ cup avocado mayonnaise
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice from 2 limes)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Salad Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 20 ounces frozen corn kernels
- 1 teaspoon chili-lime seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 12 cherry tomatoes diced
- ½ small yellow onion diced (¼cup)
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- ½ jalapeno pepper diced (¼ cup)
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- ⅔ cup cotija cheese crumbled
How To Make Mexican Street Corn Salad
Step 1: Add avocado oil to a large cast-iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium heat.
Step 2: Allow the skillet to heat through for 4-5 minutes before adding the corn kernels, chile-lime seasoning, cumin, chili powder, coarse salt, and pepper to the skillet. Saute for 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, jalapeno, half of the cilantro, and half of the cotija cheese to the skillet, and stir to incorporate.
Step 4: Add the dressing ingredients to the skillet and mix until evenly coated.
Step 5: Top with the remaining half of the cotija cheese and cilantro.
Store leftover Mexican Street Corn salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Substitutions and Variations
To make the dish creamier, add additional sour cream and/or mayonnaise. For additional “punch,” add more lime juice.
To lower the fat content, replace the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream.
Feel free to use fresh corn on the cob when it is in season rather than frozen corn.
If you can’t find cotija cheese, you can use any other Mexican cheese that crumbles well, like fresco.
FAQs
What is Tajín?
Tajín is a blend of chili seasoning, lime, and spices and happens to be the number 1 best-selling Chili/Lime seasoning in the US. Not only can it be used in cooking, but it can also be used to line the rim of glasses for delicious libations like margaritas.
What is Mexican Street Corn made of?
There are two types of Mexican street corn: elote and esquites.
Elote is a grilled corn cob that has been coated with mayo and seasoned with chili powder. Fresh lime juice is squeezed over the cob and then Cotija cheese and cilantro round out the tasty street food.
Esquites is basically the same as elotes except that the corn is taken off of the cob and it’s traditionally served in a cup.
Hungry for more Latin-inspired dishes? Be sure to check out the recipes for Mexican Chocolate Pie, Carne Asada in the Instant Pot, Easy Chicken Fajitas, and Vegan Queso Dip.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
Dressing
- 6 tablespoons sour cream
- ¼ cup avocado mayonnaise
- 3-4 tablespoons lime juice (juice from 2 limes)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Corn Salad
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 20 ounces frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon chile-lime seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 12 cherry tomatoes diced
- ½ small yellow onion diced (¼cup)
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- ½ jalapeno diced (¼ cup)
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ⅔ cup cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Add avocado oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
- Allow the skillet to heat through for 4-5 minutes before adding the corn, chile-lime seasoning, cumin, chili powder, coarse salt, and pepper to the skillet. Saute for 12 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove the skillet from the heat.
- Add the tomatoes, onion, garlic cloves, jalapeno, half of the cilantro, and half of the cotija cheese to the skillet, and stir to incorporate.
- Add the dressing ingredients to the skillet and mix until evenly coated.
- Top with the remaining half of the cotija cheese and cilantro.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Be sure to come back and tell us how your Mexican Street Corn Salad turned out!