Mexican Street Corn Salad is based on the popular ‘Elote’ recipe. Succulent sweet corn smothered in a spicy, creamy dressing and topped with vibrant, spicy and tangy flavors! Utterly butterly delicious !! Easy Crowd Pleaser Recipe.
Years ago, I had street style corn at the baseball game in Chicago. These family game outings were so much fun. There were limited vegetarian menu choices in the ballpark but it didn’t matter. They had this amazing corn salad in a cup. And I literally could eat a few of those.
As I was exploring my ways around cooking , I found out about Elote , Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites in Spanish). It was easy recipe to make and simply irresistible. I decided to tweak the recipe and make it into easy to serve summer salad.
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Summer months are so full of life. I love going to farmer’s market for fresh produce and flowers. It’s such a charming environment to mingle and float around breathing in fresh air and celebrating nature. I always admire and respect the farmers who work soo hard to bring us the freshest produce.
Farmer’s market near me has often a stall that sells and some freshest produce straight from the farm. They sell super sweet, organic, non GMO corn on the cob and needless to say , I am their repeat customer. Succulent, sweeter than candy corn is just too good.
Then we make this luscious salad with it. I often steam the corn after shucking off the outer layers. I used to do in pot covered with boiling water and salt. Now I use InstantPot. Corn on the cob steams quickly and retains it’s moisture.
Essentially ‘Elote’ is grilled corn on the cob that’s dressed up with various ingredients. I’ve always replicated the recipe at home. However I don’t enjoy eating corn off the cob much especially when you are sitting down and eating at the table. So I scrap the kernels off the cob and then make it into a simple salad and served in a less messy way.
Instead of charred grilled corn used in traditional recipes, I prefer to lightly steam my corn. Trust me , you will like it too. Steamed corn maintains its juices and lot more moist . So the dressing can be light too. After all, who wants to eat too much mayo or butter?
So to make this favorite summer dish, start off with steamed corn, add in dash of mayo, lemon juice, red chili powder and pinch of salt ! There is just something magical about this spicy, sweet and tangy refreshing salad.
You will love this Summer Corn Salad Recipe because it is
- Glutenfree
- This is a simple dish, with pops of vibrant flavors.
- Perfect for summer dinners, BBQs, Potlucks and tailgating
- Sweet, spicy, creamy and yummy
This corn dish is combination of esquites and elote with some tweaks and changes to make it super easy. It would be perfect for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. It’s always a hit at summer gatherings and back yard barbecues. Especially great during the summer months, when corn on the cob is in full season and abundant.
However you can use canned corn or frozen corn to make this recipe any time you crave street style corn. It makes the perfect accompaniment to any Tex-Mex dish, any time of year!
This recipe is perfect for a crowd. Easy, delicious and worth repeating. I often make it for game day parties. Succulent corn and yummy spices bring folks back at it again and again.
If you are looking for more backyard BBQ ideas check out some of my grilling and BBQ recipes. If you are looking for a full Mexican inspired fiesta try the links.
What are Ingredients of Mexican Style Street Corn Salad ?
3 cups corn (about 4 ears), cut from the cob
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small red onion finely diced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes or any other spicy seasoning of your choice
1 handful cilantro, chopped (optional)
Few drops of Sriracha sauce if you like it hot and spicy
2 tablespoons cotija or Queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper to taste
How to make Ball Park Corn Salad at home ?
Cook the corn – I prefer to cook it in InstantPot. Put 1 cup of water in Instant Pot. Place the steamer in the main pot and arrange the corn on the cob. Close the lid , vent sealed. Press Manual high 4 mins. Let NPR for 5 mins and then release the leftover pressure. Remove from cob and set aside.
Shuck the corn kernels off the cob by holding it upright and carefully running the knife from top to bottom. It feels difficult do at first but kernels come off easily.
Place onions, mayonnaise, chili powder, cilantro, Sriracha sauce and lemon juice into a large bowl. Mix everything well using a fork. Add the corn kernels. ; fold in to combine. Serve in the cup garnished with lime wedges and chopped cilantro leaves
What variations can I use to make this recipe?
You can use the grill to char the corn cobs instead. Or you can boil the cobs in a covered stock pot submerged in water for 10-15 mins. You can even use bagged cooked corn when fresh corn isn’t easily available.
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Mexican Street Corn Salad-Elote-InstantPot
Mexican Street Corn Salad is perfect summer salad recipe. Sweet corn, creamy mayo and tangy spices make this easy salad simply delicious. Perfect recipe for summer BBQ, picnics and backyard parties.
Ingredients
- 3 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears, cut from the cob)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small red onion finely diced
- 2 tablespoons cotija or queso fresco or feta, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes or chili powder or any other spicy seasoning of your choice
- 1 handful cilantro chopped (optional)
- Few drops of Sriracha sauce if you like it hot and spicy (optional)
- 1 jalapeno seeded and finely diced (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Lime wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the corn - I prefer to cook it in InstantPot. Put 1 cup of water in Instant Pot. Place the steamer in the main pot and arrange the corn on the cob. Close the lid , vent sealed. Press Manual high 4 mins. Let NPR for 5 mins and then release the leftover pressure. Remove from cob and set aside.
- Alternatively, you can boil the corn in large covered stockpot filled with boiled water for 10 minutes. Let it cool it a bit and then remove the kernels.
- Shuck the corn kernels off the cob by holding it upright and carefully running the knife from top to bottom. It feels difficult do at first but kernels come off easily.
- Place onion, mayonnaise, chili powder, cilantro, Sriracha sauce and lemon juice into a large bowl. Mix everything well using a fork.
- Add the corn kernels. Fold in to combine. Serve in the cup garnished with lime wedges and chopped cilantro.
Notes
You can use fresh corn on the cob, frozen corn or canned corn to make this recipe.
To make it vegan, use vegan mayo and cheese.
You can skip red onion if you want to keep the salad out for extended period of time.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 251Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 33mgSodium: 516mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 3gSugar: 5gProtein: 9g
I did make this but had to change a few things due to not having the covid leaves our stores lacking many food items but i do have 1 question if leaving out at room temp ‘ You can skip red onion if you want to keep the salad out for extended period of time.’ If mayonnaise is used isnt that the real issue with leaving out for room temp? I’m a bit confused, either way i put the bowl of corn on a bowl of ice for safety and kept it covered, Had to use canned corn frozen and fresh weren’t available but it was still delicious oh and i used tajun seasoning to amp up the flavor since cilantro and jalapeno were also mia, lol used parsley/ once things get back to “normal” we’ll try again as written exactly to compare, but for now I’m quite happy with the outcome, thank you
I suggest to leave out red onion since it starts to release the unpleasant aroma if you leave it out for extended period of time. That strong odor can be a turn off for many especially for picnics and outdoor food gatherings. I know we have to substitute so many items as they are not easily available due to covid shutdown. Thank you for trying the recipe and glad you liked it xo