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Home » Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites)

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites)

June 10, 2019 by Debi 5 Comments

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It’s easy to make Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites), and you’re going to fall in love with the flavors!

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) can be made year-round, inside the house without a grill, using frozen corn. Super easy!
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It’s easy to make Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites), and you’re going to fall in love with the flavors -- a smoky, sweet, spicy, tangy, and easy to make side dish is also called esquites.

Esquites

Mexican street corn salad, a smoky, sweet, spicy, tangy, and easy to make side dish is also called esquites.

Esquites can be made year-round, inside the house without a grill, using frozen corn. Super easy!

Esquites are the off-the-cob version of elotes (or corn on the cob made Mexican style and usually served on a stick).

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) -- Esquites are the off-the-cob version of elotes (or corn on the cob made Mexican style and usually served on a stick).

Fresh corn on the cob

If you have fresh on the cob corn by all means use that. I love fresh corn, especially in the summer when it’s super sweet and juicy.

Keep an eye out for those corn on the cob summer sales, especially around Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day, you can often find 4 ears for $1 or maybe even better.

Here’s how I like to prepare my corn on the cob. It’s a simple method for grilling on the BBQ. And it’s how I suggest preparing the corn if you have corn on the cob that you’d like to use for this Mexican Corn Salad.

After grilling, simply cut the kernels from the cob using a sharp knife. I’ve tried some of those gizmos for cutting corn from the cob, and I always head back to the classic sharp knife on a cutting board.

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) -- It’s a perfect appetizer; serve it with chips like salsa. I brought this dish to the Memorial Day pool party, and it was gone in a flash!

How many ears will I need for this recipe ?

A medium ear of corn will yield about ¾ cup of kernels. 16 ounces of frozen corn is about 1 & 2/3 cups of corn.

So you’ll want roughly 3 ears of corn (which will yield more kernels than you need, but I think it’s always better to have more yummy corn that you can save for another use).

How should I serve this recipe?

It’s a perfect appetizer; serve it with chips like salsa. I brought this dish to the Memorial Day pool party, and it was gone in a flash!

Or serve it as a side dish for any outdoor party or gathering.

Mexican street corn salad is also great in tacos or burritos.

It’s fun on nachos.

Or, try it on my Shrimp and Mexican Street Corn Bowl!

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) – use frozen corn for ease, or use fresh corn on the cob when it’s in season

How to make it

For Mexican street corn salad, you simply slather the corn kernels with a creamy, cheesy, lime and chili powder filled dressing.

While the corn is cooking in the skillet, make the mayo-sour cream dressing. The ingredients for the dressing are mayonnaise, sour cream, Cotija cheese, lime juice, fresh cilantro, red onion, and spices.

Cotija cheese

In case you aren’t familiar with it, Cotija cheese is the traditional Mexican cheese used in Mexican Street Corn salad. It’s a salty cow’s milk cheese. And, you can find it at most grocery stores in the cheese section.

If you can’t find Cotija cheese, queso fresco or feta cheese makes a good substitute.

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Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) Recipe - side dish, appetizer, salad, easy to make, delicious

Recipe

It’s easy to make Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites), and you’re going to fall in love with the flavors -- a smoky, sweet, spicy, tangy, and easy to make side dish is also called esquites.

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites)

Debi
Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites) can be made year-round, inside the house without a grill, using frozen corn. Super easy!
5 from 5 votes
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Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 servings
Calories 319 kcal

Ingredients
  

Mexican Street Corn:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 16 ounces frozen yellow corn

Dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 3 ounces Cotija cheese
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder

Instructions
 

  • Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and let cook until the corn starts to char, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • If you are using corn on the cob, grill the cobs until they are nicely charred. Cut the cooked kernels from the cobs.
  • While the corn cooks, mix the dressing together in a large bowl: mayonnaise, sour cream, Cotija cheese, cilantro, lime juice, red onion, garlic, and chili powder.
  • When the corn is done cooking, fold it into the dressing.
  • Serve warm, or refrigerate, and serve cold.

Nutrition

Calories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 7gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 319mgPotassium: 346mgFiber: 3gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 270IUVitamin C: 11.6mgCalcium: 119mgIron: 0.9mg

Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

Keyword salad, street corn
Tried this recipe?Mention @LifeCurrents or tag #LifeCurrents!
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Filed Under: Appetizers, Budget, Dips and Spreads, Lunch, Mexican Food, Salads, Side Dishes, Weeknight meals Tagged With: appetizers, Cooking, corn, dip, Food, gluten-free, Meatless Monday, Mexican, recipe, salad, side dish, Snacks, appetizers, tailgating, tailgating, vegetarian

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about debi

ABOUT DEBI

Hello! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I’ll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read more...

Previous Post: « Cherry Bread with Dark Chocolate Glaze
Next Post: Mexican Veggie Casserole Bake »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kylee

    June 10, 2019 at 7:06 am

    5 stars
    This was awesome!!I made this to go with our grilled steaks yesterday, and it was so good. Need to make a double batch next time.

  2. Angela

    June 10, 2019 at 5:26 pm

    5 stars
    How fantastic!! I am definitely going to give this a try over the weekend. Really great colors and so much flavor!!! Im thinking I need to plan a taco night!

  3. Jennifer A Stewart

    June 11, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    5 stars
    Mexican street corn is my jam and I love this because I don’t have to pick corn out of my teeth all night!

  4. Michaela Kenkel

    June 18, 2019 at 6:38 am

    5 stars
    I was trying to find something new to serve with my BBQ ribs when I found your recipe for street corn salad!! It paired perfectly, and I will be making again and again! Thank you!!

  5. Judy

    July 6, 2022 at 7:18 pm

    5 stars
    Definitely delicious, fresh, filling and creative. My family loved it.

5 from 5 votes

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Hi! I’m Debi, the girl behind Life Currents, where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes with some great desserts and other goodies mixed in! Read More >>>

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