Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mireille · 06/28/2020 at 8:37 pm

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It is also really easy to make and put together. Great to serve in the summer but you can also make this salad with frozen or canned corn as well. So, are you ready to learn how to make Mexican street corn salad? Let’s get started!

What You Need For This Recipe

To make this Mexican corn salad recipe you need the following ingredients. Put them on your grocery shopping list and have them available when you start with this recipe:

Sweet corn – use canned sweet corn or frozen corn. When you use frozen corn thaw it before use and drain any excess liquid
Vegetable oil – I prefer to use olive oil as it gives a nice taste to the sweet corn
Cotija cheese – if you can’t find cotija cheese you can also use feta cheese
Jalapeno – finely chop some pickled jalapeño pepper
Mayonnaise – for a creamy texture to the salad
Lime juice – adds freshness to the salad
Garlic – finely chop fresh garlic
Chili powder – to season the salad add homemade chili powder
Dried coriander – add flavor to the salad
Salt – season to taste

Note that the full ingredients list, including measurements, can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make Mexican Street Corn Salad

This recipe is really easy and fast to make. Start with mincing the garlic and the jalapeño. Then preheat a large cast-iron skillet to medium-hot and add the vegetable oil.
If you use frozen corn let it thaw. If you use corn on the cob, cook the corn so you can cut it off the cob and use it in this recipe.
Add the garlic and corn to the skillet. Let it cook and stir it occasionally so the corn can toast and turn golden brown.
This takes about 15 minutes. Take the skillet off the heat and let the corn cool for a couple of minutes. Then transfer the corn into a large bowl. Add mayonnaise, lime juice, minced jalapeño, and dried coriander.
Crumble the Cotija cheese and add the chili powder. Season to taste salt. Stir all of the ingredients to combine into a salad.
When you are ready to serve add more Cotija cheese for presentation. You can serve this salad warm or cold.

What Is The Difference Between Elotes And Esquites?

You can make Mexican corn salad two ways:

Elotes – When you have corn on the cob, you can grill it and slather it with spices and cheese and then serve.
Esquites – in this case, the corn is off the cob when it is assembled into a salad.

This Mexican Street corn salad recipe we are making today is made with off-the-cob corn. As it is not always possible to buy or get fresh corn ears this recipe is for you because there is no reason to pass on this great salad.

You can make this corn salad just as well with frozen corn or with canned corn.

By the way, you can also make Esquites/Mexican street corn with corn on the cob. You just prepare the corn and then cut it from the cob.

What Can You Substitute Cotija Cheese For?

This recipe calls for fresh Cotija cheese. As this type of cheese is not always widely available you can substitute it for Greek feta cheese.

It has the same crumbly texture. If you like to use a more aged cheese in your recipes instead of fresh cheese you can substitute Cotija for Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.

Can You Make Mexican Street Corn Ahead Of Time?

The best way to serve this salad is fresh. As you can see this recipe can be put together really fast but you can make this salad ahead.

If you are using fresh cilantro instead of dried coriander, I recommend you add it just before serving and not when you prepare the salad.

If you have corn kernels you can prepare the corn a day in advance and store the corn in the fridge. Assemble the salad when you want to serve it.

How To Store Mexican Corn Salad?

You have several ways to store Mexican corn.

Refrigerator – if you have leftover Mexican corn salad the best way to store it is to put it in an airtight food container or a resealable bag and put it in the refrigerator. You can keep it up to 3 to 4 days
Freezer – want to keep it longer you can freeze it. Put it in a freezer-friendly container and store for up to 1 month

What To Serve With Mexican Street Corn Salad?

You can serve this salad recipe as a side dish with any recipe. Take a look at these great recipes that go together great with your corn salad:

More Salad Recipes

If you love salads then you may also like to try some of the following salad recipes:

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