Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe (Esquites Recipe)
This easy side dish is full of fresh, zingy flavor! Mexican Street Corn Salad is a twist on my favorite Mexican restaurant’s Elote recipe but made even easier. A great addition to any party and quick enough for a fun weeknight dinner.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
I think when you get to this point in the year….you just yearn a bit more for summer. The seesawing weather really affects my mood to the point that I just want it to get hot, already, so I’m sweating profusely and need to eat ALL the watermelon within a five mile radius.
Everything about the summer is better….beyond the weather. The produce is spectacular, the sounds of the evening are soothing and the summer cookouts always have the best dishes. Like creamy macaroni salad spiked with lobster, sweet and caramelized baked beans and now….Mexican Street Corn Salad…..or Esquites.
I’m a little obsessed with corn on the cob…it’s the best part of summer. Dripping with butter and salted more than the average person would like, I could eat a dozen ears all by myself.
So, when I started to see drippy, cheesy Elote (Mexican Street Corn) popping up all over Pinterest years ago, I vowed to make it myself. And I did…but it’s a mess to eat. Like, you’ll have stains on every square inch of your clothes…or that’s just me.
That’s when I decided to turn it into a quick and easy side dish… and this Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe was born. Now, I’m not claiming to have invented the salad concept….in fact, it seems they’re already enjoying it in Northern Mexico…..but I definitely improved upon it in my own way.
And, to be honest, I thought I DID come up with a pretty new idea until I googled it and then….there it was. Mexican Street Corn Salad, or Esquites, 50 billion ways. But I made my own anyway.
What is Esquites?
Esquites, or Esquites Receta, is the “salad” form of Mexico’s popular Elote…which is basically grilled or toasted corn on the cob with cheese, mayonnaise, crema and chili powder.
Esquites, commonly known in the United States as Mexican Street Corn Salad, is the easier way to enjoy Elote. Served on the streets in Mexico as a snack or dip, it’s basically Mexican corn in a cup (or elote in a cup if we’re splitting hairs here). No mess, no dental floss needed. And you’ll have a clean shirt after you stuff your face with this amazingness.
How to Make It
I started by charring the corn kernels in a skillet with a bit of oil. Just until they begin to smell toasty, then I let them cool before tossing with red onion, green onion, cilantro, jalapeño and cheese.
I whisked together sour cream, a little mayonnaise, a little more cheese, chili powder, cayenne and lime then tossed the salad to coat.
What to Serve with It
My favorite time to serve this easy Esquites recipe is at barbecues during the summertime. So naturally, these are my FAVORITE things to serve alongside this addicting side dish:
- Add a heaping spoonful to these Easy Beef Nachos
- Boost the flavor of this Grilled Fajita Salad with a some Esquites mixed in.
- Make it a dip with some Homemade Tortilla Chips
- Serve alongside these Easy Chicken Enchiladas
It really is the best tasting side dish I’ve ever made. Filled to the brim with vibrant flavor that is completely and utterly addicting. It’s so perfect served alongside some simple Barbecue Chicken or my favorite spicy ribs.
Mexican Street Corn Salad is definitely one of those dishes you’re going to make again and again and again. And AGAIN.
If you love this recipe, you should also try this Frito Corn Salad! It’s just as flavor packed with an extra salty crunch!
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Get the Recipe: Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups corn kernels, thawed, if frozen
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 4 ounces Cojita cheese, crumbled
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- zest and juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Equipment
- bowl
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn to the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes or until slightly charred, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the corn to a mixing bowl. Add the onion, jalapeño, green onion, cilantro and cheese. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lime zest, lime juice, cayenne pepper and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour the dressing over the corn mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle with additional cilantro and Cojita cheese, if desired. Serve immediately
24 Comments on “Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe (Esquites Recipe)”
What would be a substitute for cojita cheese?
You could use crumbled feta instead.
Thank you! I’ve never heard of cojita so the flavor profile was a mystery to me. That’s the only ingredient I need to make this.
It’s worth searching for it if you can. It’s so good and not quite as salty as feta.
I made it and it is fabulous! This is going to become a family favorite.
YAY!!!! I’m glad you love it! It’s my favorite, too.
I luh-uhve this dish! Nothing beats summer corn (I don’t want to wait, so glad you’ve sharing this now), and this salad looks amazing! Love the zing, too!
I can’t wait for summer sweet corn! This salad sounds so good!
I just cannot wait for summer to arrive but I’m just thankful for the sweater weather after the long drawn out winter. This corn salad is the bomb! I could eat this all up…I can’t wait for summer now ^_^
Love all the fresh flavors going on! This Mexican Street Corn Salad will be a great side for summer barbecues too!
Oh my goodness! Made this for our Cinco De Mayo party tonight and don’t want to share it!! I bought the Trader Joes frozen roasted corn as a time saver. This will definitely go on summer BBQ rotation.
I’m so glad you love it! We make this a ton all summer long.
Its “cotija” cheese….sort of a hard and crumbly but very mild Mexican cheese. It’s in a lot of traditional Mexican recipes. Just a little mix up of the T and the J. I cant wait to try this recipe for the 4th of July!
Thank you!
Can it be made ahead of time?
Yes, it can be made in advance!
Fabulous! I had to “vegan” it for my husband so didn’t add any cheese and used vegan sour cream and vegan mayo. With all the spices and onions I didn’t even notice the “vegan” part.
Thank you. (Can’t wait to make for my gfs where I can make it as is, but honestly it’s good as a vegan recipe.
I will totally try this “vegan-ized”!!!
I doubled the recipe. The dressing was very limey and watery/thin. I only used 1/8 tsp cayenne, as a tsp can be very hot. I had to add more mayo, sour cream, chili powder and salt to thicken the dressing and reduce the over powerful lime taste. After that, it was very good. .
Hmmm, not sure why the dressing was thin but I’m glad it worked out anyway. Thank you for your comment!
I made this for a friend with two teen daughters. Mom said they started eating it with a spoon before dinner was even ready. I do love elites in local restaurants and have been looking for a recipe. This one is spot on. I’m making it this week for Bunco and I know my friends are going to love it.
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you enjoyed it….we love serving it with chips like an Elote Dip, too!
This was so good. I forgot the jalapeño, good thing. Spicy enough. Next time I would use jalapeño and cut back or cut out the cayenne.
I’m so glad you liked it! It is a little spicy on it’s own but we love spice.