Simple Mexican Street Corn Salad - (Esquites)

Mexican Street Corn Salad is fresh, bright, spicy, and creamy all in one dish. It will become a frequent side for dinner, cookouts, and gatherings. Takes minutes to prepare and seconds to disappear. No husking required.

Mexican street corn is roasted corn on the cob, slathered in crema, coated with cotija cheese, and sprinkled with chili powder. It seems almost impossible to eat without getting most of that goodness all over your face. The solution? Mexican Street Corn Salad, of course.

There’s no need to roast fresh corn on the grill and go through the trouble of removing the kernels off the cob. Why go through all that when you can totally cheat like I do and buy a bag of roasted sweet frozen corn at your nearest Trader Joe’s? Is it cheating, or is it smart? I say it’s the latter. Another benefit is the ease of throwing this salad together in a bowl for your guests without the mess of silky strands all over the place. The goal here is to make it simple and delicious and that’s what this Mexican street corn salad is - simple and delicious.

If you can’t find frozen roasted sweet corn, simply buy a bag of plain frozen corn and toss it in a hot skillet until it’s lightly charred. Can you get away with using plain frozen corn? Yes you can, and I won’t tell.

Cotija or Feta?

Although this salad is known for using cotija cheese, I use feta because I always have a chunk of it in my refrigerator. It’s a main ingredient for my Peruvian shrimp soup, Peruvian pesto, spinach pesto, and my watermelon salad.

In a large bowl, mix together remaining ingredients. Toss in the corn and serve. Simple right? The flavor from the fresh cilantro stands out. The brightness from the lime zest and juice awakens the senses. The pungency from the garlic, red onion, and jalapeño is tamed by the creamy mayonnaise, sour cream, and cheese.

Try these delicious salads:

Peruvian oil and vinegar potato salad

Quinoa salad with orange vinaigrette

Sonoma chicken salad

Simple vinegar coleslaw

Make this simple to eat Mexican street corn salad for dinner, cookouts, or parties.

You got this!

Life is too short for mediocre food.

Mexican Street Corn Salad

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Mexican Street Corn Salad is fresh, bright, spicy, and creamy all in one dish. It will become a frequent side for dinner, cookouts, and gatherings. Takes minutes to prepare and seconds to disappear.

Course: Side

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Corn, Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Author: Natalie Gregory

Ingredients

• 1 pound frozen sweet corn preferably roasted, defrosted*
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• ½ teaspoon chili powder plus more for serving
• 1 - 2 garlic cloves minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• Zest of 1 lime
• ½ cup cotija cheese or crumbled feta
• ½ small red onion diced about ¼ cup
• 1 jalapeño seeded, whites removed, and diced**
• 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped - about ½ cup

Instructions

• Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cheese, chili powder, garlic, lime juice, zest, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a large bowl. Set aside.
• If you’re using roasted corn, add to bowl and mix. 
• This step is optional - If you’re using plain sweet corn, place a skillet over medium high heat, and toss corn until charred in spots. I let it cool a few minutes before combining with the other ingredients. You don’t have to char the corn for this salad to be delicious.
• Sprinkle with a little chili powder, if desired, and serve.

Notes

*The corn defrosts quickly. It doesn’t have to be defrosted completely to make this salad. Shake off excess moisture by placing corn in a strainer and toss it around.

**I use a medium-sized jalapeño, (about 3" in length).

Did you make this recipe? I would love to see how it turns out. Tag me on Instagram @thegeneticchef or tag #thegeneticchef and tell me all about it!

More Delicious Salads

See More Salads →