Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
Updated
Updated
This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe, also known as Esquites, includes corn kernels coated in a creamy, sweet, tangy, smoky dressing, then topped with salty cotija cheese. I love that it’s so easy to make and off-the-charts delicious. I’m a huge fan of authentic Mexican Street Corn on the cob, and I absolutely love this side salad version. Great for summer potlucks, but I make it year-round using fresh or frozen corn.
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5 STAR REVIEW
Corn on the cob is such quintessential summer food and the minute I see it roll into grocery stores, I get so excited! My entire family loves it. When my kids were younger with braces though, we had to improvise for awhile. That’s where this Mexican Street Corn Salad, also known as Esquites, came into play. It’s basically Mexican Street Corn deconstructed into a salad, served in a bowl.
Mexican Corn Salad is so simple and delicious. Plus colorful and pretty! A combination of sweet mayonnaise, salty cheese, tangy lime, and smoky seasonings make the dressing crazy tasty. It gives this salad that Mexican street corn style flavor without all the mess of eating off a cob.
And even though this dish is aligned with summer, using frozen corn allows you to make it year round, and trust me, you’ll want to make it all the time!
Esquites, literally means “little corn cup,” which is corn that’s sautéed in butter with onion, chilies, and salt. It gets nice and charred, then served in a cup with a variety of toppings, like lime juice, hot sauce, mayo, and chili powder. It’s smoky, sweet, spicy, tangy, and amazing. If you love Mexican Street Corn (elote), you will go crazy for this salad version.
Helpful Tips and Variations
- Use any corn. Fresh corn is my preference, but you can use frozen (thawed) or canned (drained), when corn is not in season. You’ll need 4 ears of corn (3-4 cups kernels.) Yellow or white corn kernels can be used.
- Sauté or grill the corn kernels. Cutting the kernels off the cob and then cooking them over high heat in a pan gives them a nice char, without needing to use a grill. But grilling your corn (and then removing the kernels after) definitely adds another level of flavor to this salad. Either way is delicious, though!
- Mexican Crema. This is a thickened cream, with a tangy flavor. If you can’t find it, sour cream is a great substitute.
- Cotija Cheese. This is the Mexican version of feta cheese, but a little less salty. It’s usually located near the chilled Latin foods or specialty cheeses, but feta is a great alternative, if you can’t find it.
- Cilantro. This herb is a staple in Mexican cuisine and fits in this salad perfectly. If you don’t like it, you can use parsley instead.
- Hot or cold? This salad is typically served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or even cold.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernels removed (about 3-4 cups fresh corn kernels)
- 3 tbsp Mexican Crema
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, grated on a microplane grater (about 1 to 2 tsp)
- 2 tbsp fresh juice from 2 limes
- ¼ tsp chili powder
- ¼ tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- coarse salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 oz. (¼ cup) Cotija cheese, finely crumbled
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and stemmed, minced
Instructions
- Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in the corn kernels; cook for about 5 minutes, tossing a few times, until lightly charred. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add dressing to the bowl with the cooled corn along with the cotija cheese, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine and coat.
- Serve and enjoy! (This salad is typically served warm, but it is also good at room temperature or even cold.)
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.
Did you make this? Leave a rating below!How to Make Mexican Street Corn Salad Step by Step
Cook corn: Warm oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add in the corn kernels; cook for about 5 minutes, tossing a few times, until lightly charred. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from the heat and cool for 10 minutes.
Make the dressing: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, garlic, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Combine all the ingredients: Add dressing to the bowl with the cooled corn along with the cotija cheese, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeño. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold to combine and coat.
Serve: Serve and enjoy!
How to Store
The best way to enjoy this salad is right away, while the corn is still warm, coated in the dressing. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Freezing this dish is not recommended.
What to Serve with Mexican Street Corn Salad
You can enjoy this corn salad by itself or pair it with a main. Some of our favorites include Mexican recipes like baked chicken taquitos or simple chicken chorizo meatballs. I also think you can’t go wrong with serving the corn salad with a classic dish of chile rellenos. Don’t forget to wash it down with some horchata!
Amazing amazingly yummy. I didn’t have the Mexican crema so I used sour cream and feta cheese instead of cotiga cheese. So I can imagine if I use these two ingredients. Even better. I’m going to be making this every weekend. Also good for Bring n Share at work. Thank you. I’m going to be eating it with Tostitos
To die for!!!!! I just made this, soooooooo good. I added 1 can of black beans for protien since i am a vegetarian..so yum!!!! Thank you for the recipe!!!!
Made this. Didn’t have a Mexican cheese so left it out. It was excellent. Got so many compliments.
This was delicious. I used canned corn.
I love this! I had almost all ingredients at home; substituted canned corn for fresh, and Feta cheese for Cotija.
It turned out fabulous – I pinned the recipe becasue I can see myself making this very often.
yumyum. flavorful and a great compliment to any summertime meal
Great recipe! Very good cold as well.
Looooove this dip! It was a huge hit when I made it. Question?? Can I make it ahead and then heat it back up when serving the next day? Last time I made it I served it right away.
I’m addicted to this recipe! I’ve made it several times with fresh or frozen and it never disappoints. It’s a crowd pleaser!!
This was DELICIOUS!!
This recipe was delicious! Both my husband and I really enjoyed it. I used the suggested substitute of sour cream and feta cheese. We put the corn salad in toasted wraps and I added bacon pieces to the mix and it took it up a notch. We will definitely make this again.
DELISH!
My husband said don’t lose that recipe.
Can you use frozen corn instead? If you use fresh and do the pan fry do you cut the corn off the cob raw?
Hi Debi – yes, you would pan fry the kernels raw. I would not recommend frozen corn for this recipe, but you could try it. Make sure it’s completely thawed and dry.
Thank you for the recipes, just in time for Cinco de Mayo! I know I can safely pins your recipes for later use!
Wow, so good