This easy side dish turns the popular street food, Mexican street corn, into an addictive, delicious salad. It's perfect for your summer BBQs or a Cinco de Mayo party.
You can grill the corn, as in the traditional street food in Mexico, or slice the kernels from the corn and sauté in a barely oiled pan until lightly charred.
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My love of Mexican street corn is well-known. I make a Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad all summer and this Mexican Street Corn Casserole. The flavors are essentially the same - I would never mess with this classic Mexican dish - but is served in different presentations.
All of these dishes are perfect all summer long or for a Cinco de Mayo party.
🌽 What is Mexican Street Corn?
Mexican Street Corn, also known as Elote, is a popular Mexican street food. Street vendors grill (or boil) corn on the cob,slather the cobs with a creamy sauce made of mayonnaise, Mexican crema, cilantro, chili powder, and lime juice, and then rolls them in cotija cheese crumbles.
These simple ingredients marry together into a delicious and flavorful side dish that's described as sweet, savory, tangy, and spicy all at once.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
This list only covers ingredients that require some notes. Go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post for a complete listing of the ingredients, measurements, and directions for making this Mexican corn salad.
- Sweet corn - I use fresh sweet corn (white corn) in this recipe but frozen white corn will work fine. This recipe calls for 8 ears of corn which equates to 8 cups of corn kernels.
- Cotija cheese - Salty cotija cheese keeps the recipe true to Mexican street corn sold by vendors in Mexico, but you can also use feta cheese. You need the saltiness of cheese to make this recipe work.
- Fresh cilantro - For those of you who don't like cilantro, use flat leaf parsley instead.
- Scallions - These can also called be called green onions or spring onions in your grocery stores. White onions also work well. An alternative that I haven't tried, but should work fine, is red onion. Do not use yellow onions.
🎯 Why This Recipe Works
- The combination of flavors of traditional Mexican street corn is featured for a perfect balance of salt, sweet, and salt, with tangy lime juice.
- Charring the corn brings out its sweetness.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Use frozen corn instead of fresh corn on the cob.
- Use cheese already in crumbles.
🥬 Make it Vegan
Use a vegan mayonnaise and plant-based salty cheese such as a plant-based Parmesan cheese. Follow Your Heart makes a very good vegan Parmesan style cheese.
🙋♀️ FAQ
Yes, but don't dress the salad until ready to serve. Make the salad up to that point, cover both the salad and dressing with plastic and refrigerate for up to 1 day. After that, the corn flavor isn't as fresh, IMO.
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. But this salad is by far at its best the day you make it.
Since this elote salad is best on the day you make it, I recommend finding other ways to use leftovers. For example:
* In tacos with black beans, diced tomatoes, and avocado.
* In quesadillas with black beans and Monterey Jack cheese.
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Easy Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe (Ensalada de Elote)
Equipment
- Outside grill or large nonstick skillet
- Large bowl
- small bowl
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn, husked or 8 cups frozen corn
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil or other high heat cooking oil
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream or Mexican Crema
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt or ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup thinly sliced scallions also called green onions and spring onions
- ⅓ cup crumbled Cotija cheese or queso fresco or feta cheese
- ⅓ cup finely chopped cilantro the leaves and tender stems
- 1 medium jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced
Instructions
- Grill method: Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Brush the corn with olive oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, or until you see char marks. Remove from grill and set aside until cool enough to handle.Stove top method: Slice the corn kernels from the cobs using a chef's knife. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat and add half of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add half of the corn kernels and sauté until lightly charred. Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining olive oil and corn kernels. Set aside to slightly cool while you make the dressing.
- Whisk together the mayo, sour cream, garlic, lime juice, smoked paprika, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl to make a creamy dressing.Stir half of the dressing into the charred corn kernels and toss to coat using a wooden spoon.
- Add the scallions, Cotija cheese, cilantro, and jalapeño pepper and stir well to coat. Add more dressing as desired. This is a creamy side dish but don't worry if you don't need all of the dressing.Season to taste.
- Serve immediately or cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 4 hours for the best results.
Notes
- Sweet corn - I use fresh sweet corn (white corn) in this recipe but frozen white corn will work fine. This recipe calls for 8 ears of corn which equates to 8 cups of corn kernels.
- Cotija cheese - Salty cotija cheese keeps the recipe true to Mexican street corn sold by vendors in Mexico, but you can also use feta cheese. You need the saltiness of cheese to make this recipe work.
- Fresh cilantro - For those of you who don't like cilantro, use flat leaf parsley instead.
- Scallions - These can also called be called green onions or spring onions in your grocery stores. White onions also work well. An alternative that I haven't tried, but should work fine, is red onion. Do not use yellow onions.
- Lime juice - It may initially feel like a lot of lime juice, but once the salad is dressed, it's the perfect balance.
Jane
The perfect combination of flavors - so good!!