Perfect for picnics, potlucks, or parties, this recipe features all the flavors of Grilled Mexican street corn (Elote) in a delicious, easy to share salad. Creamy and a little spicy, with a salty topping of crumbled Cojita cheese and a burst of fresh lime, the flavor combination of this salad is surprisingly irresistible!
Mexican street corn is all sorts of delicious. This is a staple not only in Mexico but in the southern states and is served on the cob (Elolte) or in layered bowls (Esquites). There are so many bold flavors that all come together in an unexpected and surprising way. Smoky grilled corn, a creamy sauce, salty cheese, a squeeze of lime and just the right amount of spice, this street treat can be messy but is totally worth it. It is much more manageable in a bowl than on the cob, and this recipe is really easy to make AND EAT! It is a welcome and unusual addition to a picnic or potluck with it’s unique flavors – people always come back for more!
How to make Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
Shuck the corn cobs and carefully remove all of the corn silk. Heat a grill to high heat and roast the shucked corn for about 2 minutes on each side until browned, about 8 minutes total. Remove the cobs from heat and set aside to cool. You don’t need to put anything on the corn before you roast it. It will be really hot when you pull it off the grill so use gloves or tongs and let it cool all the way before cutting it off of the cobs. It does not need to be hot when you cut it!
While the corn is cooking and cooling, finely chop the onion, cilantro, jalapeno and bell pepper and place everything into a medium sized bowl.
Once the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off of the cobs and add them to the rest of the veggies in the bowl.
Toss the contents of the bowl together until well mixed and set aside. The combination is so colorful it just screams summertime!
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, juice of 1/2 lime with the chili powder, cayenne and paprika. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary. If you want it spicier, add more cayenne, less spicy, add less. This dressing is completely customizable to your family’s taste preferences.
Pour the dressing onto the corn mixture and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the crumbled Cojita cheese. Toss everything together until the dressing is evenly distributed.
Squeeze the remaining half of a lime over the top of the salad and top with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of Cojita cheese.
Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Other Potluck Ready Recipes You May Like:
Three Ingredient Fruit Dip – How do you make a fruit plate even better? With this easy and yummy three ingredient fruit dip. So good!
Cucumber, Tomato and Onion Marinated Salad – A cafeteria favorite that gets more delicious the longer it marinates. Delicious!
Dill Pickle Pasta Salad – A wonderful twist on a potluck favorite – fresh and delicious and just a little unexpected!
Party Pretzel Bites – these delicious little bites are addictive and always welcomed at any gathering.
Creamy Cucumber Salad – a light, cool side dish that pairs perfectly with summertime and everything BBQ.
Super Simple Sesame Noodles – packed full of flavor and simple to make using pantry ingredients!
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Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
Ingredients
Salad
- 3-4 ears of corn shucked, silk removed
- 1/4 cup red onion finely diced
- 1/4 cup cilantro finely chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper finely chopped
Dressing
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 small lime juiced (about 1 tbsp)
- 1-2 shakes chili powder
- 1-2 shakes cayenne
- 1-2 shakes paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
Topping
- 2 tbsp Cojita cheese divided
- 1/2 small lime
Instructions
- Heat a grill to high heat and roast the shucked corn for about 2 minutes on each side until browned, about 8 minutes total. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Finely chop the onion, cilantro, jalapeno and bell pepper and place into a medium sized bowl.
- Once the corn has cooled, cut the kernels off of the cobs and add them to the bowl.
- Toss the contents of the bowl together until well mixed and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sour cream, juice of 1/2 lime with the chili powder, cayenne and paprika. Taste and season with salt and pepper as necessary.
- Pour the dressing onto the corn mixture and add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the crumbled Cojita cheese. Toss everything together until the dressing is evenly distributed.
- Squeeze the remaining half of a lime over the top of the salad and top with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of Cojita cheese.
- Serve immediately. Enjoy!
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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