This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe (also known as Esquites) is packed with fresh flavors and cotija cheese! This is the perfect side dish that turns the classic Mexican street food into a delicious and easy to make salad!
Friends, meet my new FFS... No, not FF Sake. Favorite Freakin' Salad: Mexican Street Corn Salad. Mexican Street Corn Salad, meet your new friends. Colorful. Flavorful. Fresh. What else could you ask for in a salad?
Recipe Video
Ingredients Needed
Fresh, that's the name of this salad. This salad is also known as an Esquites recipe, which is a Mexican corn salad.
Fresh or Frozen Corn? Well, there are benefits to each. You can get frozen any time of the year. Fresh is, well, fresh. Either will work for this dish. The most important piece is to be sure you add a little char to the corn from a nice pan fry. That'll add the necessary flavor to mimic the classic Street Corn.
What ties it all together? The dressing.
Also this is totally customizable. Like it cheesier? Add more cheese? Want a little more heat? Add a touch more chili powder? Want it creamier? Up the mayo and sour cream!
Did you know you can make your own Mayonnaise From Scratch?
Other Great Ways use Mayonnaise From Scratch
Step-by-Step Instructions
- The first thing that really is key to this salad and is what elevates this salad is a giving the corn a quick char by pan frying it.
- Then add all your fresh veggies into a large bowl.
- Mix all of your dressing ingredients (except the cheese) into another bowl.
- And then finally mix the dressing with the veggies and half of the cheese and give a good mix.
- Finally, add the rest of the cheese on top with some more fresh cilantro and serve!
This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe is such a hit; I recently made this on a girls trip to the beach for a taco bar night and it received rave reviews. Thumbs up from 15 diverse women AND a 3 year old? Yup; this one's a keeper.
Other Favorite Side Salads
Other Mexican Inspired Dishes
Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Tacos
Fresh Green Salsa From Scratch
Fresh Easy Pico de Gallo From Scratch
Crock Pot Chicken Carnitas Tacos
FAQs
It is a delicious salty, crumbly, Mexican cheese from cow's milk.
Totally! Parmesan, Romano, or feta are great substitutes (but Cotija is definitely the best).
No, not necessarily, but it really does make a difference.
Not only did all the women of my girls' trip love this esquites recipe, but my toddler inhaled it. So if that isn't a glowing review, I'm not sure what else is!
By the way, if you loved this recipe, try out our Mexican Street Corn Chicken Tacos, too!
Enjoy, friends! Don't forget if you make this salad or any other recipes from the site, please be sure to let me know on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Twitter. I love hearing from you!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 4 cups corn approximately 24 oz frozen
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro minced, a few leaves left for garnish.
- 1 jalapeno diced
- 1/2 large red onion diced
- 2/3 cup cotija cheese shredded/crumbled
Dressing
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice approximately 2 limes
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a saute pan on medium high and add corn. Cook until slightly charred, approximately 7-10 minutes. Add to large bowl and set aside.
- Add pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and onion to large bowl with corn and mix well.
- In a small bowl, add all dressing ingredients and mix well until smooth.
- Add dressing to large bowl with corn and mix well. Add 1/2 cotija cheese and mix well.
- Add remaining cheese and some cilantro.
- Serve or cover and store in fridge for up to 8 hrs before serving.
Jean M.
Absolutely delicious! We had extra grilled corn on the cob left from Sunday dinner, and this was the perfect use for it.
Sarah
Will this still be just as delicious if I don’t have sour cream on hand?
Tracy
Not quite as good, but even with all mayo it's still delicious!
Janet GT
This recipe is so easy, and it is absolutely delicious!!! I have made it a couple of times, and my family loves it.
Jeanna Williams
This salad has become my kids favorite thing to eat! Anytime we have anything remotely Mexican they want this salad. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Tracy
That's so great to hear, Jeanna!! Thanks so much for sharing!
Rebekah
Can you use Tajin?
Tracy
Totally!
Valerie
Do you cook the onion and red pepper and jalapeño or just add it in raw?
Tracy
Just add it in raw 🙂
Molly
If I’m using fresh corn off the cob do I need to cook the corn before throwing it on a pan to sauté it? Or is just sautéing them enough for them to soften up for eating?
Tracy
Hi Molly! Just sauteeing it in the pan will do the trick! Enjoy!
Connie
This dish is delicious! My husband said it is now one of his favorite salads. I will definitely be making this again. Great side dish for our fish tacos.
Michele Kamper
Driving through Indiana back to Milwaukee saw a guy selling corn on the side of the road. He gave me 25 wars. I’m sooo excited to try it in this recipe today!
Tracy
That sounds amazing!! I’m so envious of how amazing that fresh corn is going to be in this! Enjoy 😊
Michele Kamper
Do I do anything to the corn beforehand or just slice it off the cob and start cooking?
Thanks!
Tracy
Nope, just slice and saute! Or you could grill the whole cob and then slice it off the cob!
Meghan
Excited to make this! I see you talking about fresh vs frozen corn... what about canned corn? Does that make a difference? 🙂 Looks delicious!
Tracy
Canned corn works great, too! Enjoy!!
Tricia
I have 30 coming to a party. Should I double or triple the recipe?
Tracy
Triple!
Meredith
This is SOOO good! Greatly appreciate all you chefs online that take time to post great recipes. Bringing this to 4th of July festivities and I've gotta say, feeling pretty damn smooth in my kitchen right now because I know I'm bringing the best dish to the party. Thanks for making me look good!
Tracy
So good to hear, Meredith! Enjoy!! By tomorrow it may need a little refresh with some extra sauce to make it a little creamier and topped with some extra cheese, but so glad to hear you love it and I’m sure everyone else will, too!
Tracie
OMG!!!! Made for a dinner party tonight… good thing I made a double batch because I can’t stop “tasting” it :). I used Greek yogurt instead of sour cream to lighten it up a bit and added some smoked paprika to the regular which gave my frozen pan fried corn that Smokey taste! So delicious
Tracy
So great to hear, Tracie!! Thanks so much for sharing!! Great idea with the smoked paprika!
Janet GordonThatcher
A BIG hit!! This just went to the top of our favorite salad list!
Tracy
So glad you enjoyed it!
Catherine
I just made this and it was amazing. I decided to only use half of the lime (2 Tbs) in the dressing because I'm not a huge lime fan, and it was the perfect amount for me! I definitely will be making this many times this summer!
Tracy
Great to hear, Catherine! So glad you enjoyed it.
Esther
Can this be made a day in advance?
Tracy
Definitely! Prep the dressing and set aside and then prep the corn with everything else except the cheese and store in the fridge. Right before you're ready to serve, toss with the dressing and the cheese! Enjoy!
Rachel
If I’m making this with frozen corn, should I thaw it before charring? Thx!
Tracy
Yup! Doesn’t have to be fully thawed but at least mostly. Enjoy!