If you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you know that fresh corn is one of my absolute favorite parts of summer. Crisp, juicy, and sweet, you just can’t beat it. Of course, I’ll always love it straight off the cob, but when I’m looking to put corn front & center in a different way, this Mexican street corn salad is my go-to. Inspired by all of the elotes we ate in Austin, it’s creamy, tangy, and a bit spicy. This salad is all about the corn, so you only need 10 ingredients to make it!
Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe Ingredients
If you’re not familiar with them, elotes are Mexican grilled corn topped with mayonnaise, hot sauce or chile powder, lime, and Cotija cheese. I used them as inspiration for this spicy, crisp & creamy Mexican corn salad. Because it has so few ingredients, each one adds something essential. Here’s what’s in it:
- Grilled corn is my starting point. It’s sweet, lightly charred, and juicy – delicious!
- Mayo gives the corn a lightly creamy coating.
- Lime juice and zest make it bright & zingy.
- Garlic & scallions add sharp, oniony accents.
- Cotija cheese dots it with tangy, salty pops of flavor. If you can’t find Cotija, use feta instead.
- Cilantro adds freshness.
- Smoked paprika underscores everything with a smoky depth of flavor. Chili powder works too!
- Jalapeño spices it up. Try pickled jalapeños for a fun variation!
- And sea salt ties it all together.
To make this salad, grill the corn on the cob and mix together the mayo, lime juice & zest, and garlic. Cut the corn kernels off the cob and add them to a bowl along with the scallions, Cotija cheese, cilantro, smoked paprika, and jalapeño. Fold in the dressing, and it’s ready to go.
You can serve this Mexican street corn salad just after you make it, although I love it best after it chills for a bit. Consequently, it’s a great make-ahead option for cookouts and picnics!
Mexican Corn Salad Serving Suggestions
This salad is a great one for making ahead, so bring it to any cookout on your calendar. It’s excellent with classic picnic fare like veggie burgers, BBQ sandwiches, black bean burgers, or portobello burgers.
It would also be a good addition to a Mexican-themed dinner. Serve it with any of these recipes:
- Rainbow Veggie Fajitas
- Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas,
- Grilled avocados with Veggie Ceviche (Stuff the corn salad into the avocados instead of the ceviche!)
- Avocado Sweet Potato Tacos
- Spicy Mango, Black Bean, and Avocado Tacos
- Crispy Butternut & Poblano Tacos
- Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Vegetarian Tacos
- Portobello Mushroom Tacos
- Jamaican Jerk Vegan Tacos
If you have leftovers, add them to a DIY burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice and dressing, guacamole, black beans, pico de gallo, and mango or tomatillo salsa. And don’t forget the margaritas!
If you love this Mexican corn salad recipe…
You have to try this corn chowder, this panzanella, or this pizza next!
- 4 ears fresh corn, husked
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
- 1½ tablespoons mayo
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions
- ¼ cup crumbled Cotija, or feta cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika or chili powder
- 1 jalapeño, diced*
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat. Brush the corn with olive oil and grill for 2 minutes per side, or until char marks form. Remove from grill and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the mayo, garlic, and lime zest and juice. Slice the kernels off the corn and add to the bowl along with the scallions. Stir to coat, then add the cheese, cilantro, smoked paprika, jalapeño, and salt. Season to taste and serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.
Wow! It was like you KNEW I had fresh corn already cut off the hull sitting in my fridge waiting for a corn salad recipe to make. This has to be destiny. Guess we know what’s on my menu!
ha, yes I would call this destiny 🙂
I made this last week and actually ended up serving it cold. I was a bit nervous my boyfriend wouldn’t like it but he absolutely loved it and told me it was something I should add to the “Make again soon!” list.
Smoke Paprika is one of my favorite spices, so I already knew I’d enjoy this! And serving it cold made it super refreshing on such a sweaty Austin evening!
ooh yay, I love it when a recipe wins over boyfriends and husbands! thanks for sharing 🙂
This looks amazing!!! My husband is a farmer so we get lots of sweet corn in the summer…I’m constantly coming up with different ways to use it. I love adding a bit of spice and cilantro to it. I can’t wait to try this salad out!
oh I bet you get the best veggies, lucky! Love the name of your blog, btw.
my auntie loves corn so much she actually grows her own. We even get varieties like white and spotted black ones. I could really use this salad on Mexican mondays!
that sounds amazing, and so does Mexican mondays!
gen-i-us. Especially for people who, um, don’t like to eat corn on the cob, this is great!
ha, my husband Jack doesn’t like to eat corn off the cob, hence the salad 🙂
Anthropologie talks to you too? I am glad I am not the only one that goes in to just look and always walks out with a plate or knick knack. Mexican street corn is one of my favorite summertime eats. I seriously have been having fresh corn at least once maybe twice a week.
I’m weak for the knick knacks, zero control 🙂
Totally into this! Yum!
I make this all the time in the summer and seriously cannot get enough! Best. salad. ever.
This looks perfect to accompany with an alfresco meal with chicken! Looks great!
we grilled some scallops with ours… such a great side dish for any simply grilled meat.
There had better be a mountain of fresh corn at the farmer’s market this weekend, because I need some of this as soon as possible! NOM.
Yes! Yes! Yes! New favorite salad!
This looks incredible, I adore sweetcorn but would never had thought to have it as a salad. I was in New York a month ago and couldn’t resist looking around Anthropologie and dreaming about all the amazing things I would buy with a lottery win!
The same with me. Farmer markets gives us so many posibilities. I attend a Thursday Street Market for inspirations almost each week.
This looks delicious! I didn’t grow up eating Mexican food, but as an adult it’s become a staple on my weekly menu. It never disappoints, and who doesn’t love homemade guacamole?
I just discovered your blog and LOVE your photography and want to make ALL of your recipes 🙂
🙂 thank you!
This looks delish! If I remove the cheese and mayo to make it vegan, is there anything I should substitute or do you think it will be just as good without? I don’t like vegan cheese or mayo.
I would try this recipe instead (you can alter it to use more corn, less of the other veggies, and you can change up the herbs)… but the base recipe is a creamy vegan corn salad using coconut milk: http://www.loveandlemons.com/2012/07/26/edamame-corn-succotash/
Fantastic! Thanks so much for the suggestion.
Love you website btw!
This looks like my perfect salad! Cannot wait to get some fresh corn and make this. Love the flavours!
Yum!! This looks delicious and so pretty on that plate.
Oh my this looks amazing. So fresh and colorful!
This salad is very colorfully. Very summer!
Jeanine, I am planning on making this salad tomorrow for a pre-fourth of July party (the best kind!). Do you think that it would still taste okay if I made it in the morning, refrigerated, and then served later that night? Should I add the cheese just before serving?
Hi Lauren… It should be ok, I would add the cheese just before serving. If you’re using fresh corn, I think it’ll hold up well and will retain a crunchy bite. Maybe cook the corn slightly less than you would otherwise, since it’ll get a little mushier after it sits in the fridge.
Hi. Tried making this salad but the cheese melted into a goo-ey mess. How long should i wait for the corn to cool down before adding the cheese? Thx.
oh weird – feta and cotija cheeses don’t really “melt” so I’ve never run into that. Let it cool until it’s room temp, and maybe reduce the mayo and that’ll help make it more fresh and crisp.
When should the garlic come out?
sorry! just pull it out before you serve!
Thanks! It was delicious!
Just made this and it was so easy and tasted excellent! Thank you!