This Mexican Street Corn Salad aka Esquites is full of charred sweet corn, fresh herbs, smoky spices, creamy cheese, and a tangy jalapeno lime sauce. The perfect summer side!

General
Why you'll love it
Elote vs esquites
Ingredients
How to make
Get the recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Tips
Pairing suggestions
How to store
Nutrition information

Why you’ll love it

Flavorful. Corn gets a quick sauté in the pan to create this amazing sweet, yet smoky flavor that is absolutely addicting.
Versatile. Fresh corn or frozen corn. Feta or cotija. Spicy or not spicy. The choice is yours!
Crowd Favorite. Bring this to your next neighborhood potluck and I promise, you’ll be the hit of the party.

What’s the difference between elote and esquites?

Elote aka Mexican street corn or Mexican grilled corn is a popular dish made up of grilled corn on the cob that’s been slathered in mayo, sour cream, cotija cheese, spices, and lime juice. Mexican street corn salad or esquites is essentially the same thing, but instead of being served on the cob, esquites is served as a salad in a bowl or cup.

Ingredients

Sauce: Cilantro Lime Sauce – my all time favorite sauce, chip dip, dressing. This sauce is made with jalapenos, fresh herbs, lime, mayo, and sour cream and is the perfect addition to this recipe. Make it a day in advance to save on prep.
Bell Pepper – red bell pepper was used in the original recipe and is the sweetest color of bell peppers. Yellow, orange, and even green may be used, but they’ll have a more bitter flavor.
Cilantro – use as much or as little as you like. If you’re not a huge cilantro fan, try using parsley instead.
Onion – red onion was used in the original recipe, but if you’d like a less sharp flavor, green onions may be used instead. I don’t recommend using white or yellow onions, because the flavor will be too strong.
Cheese: Feta and Parmesan – cotija is more traditional, but I couldn’t find it at my local grocery store so the combination of feta and parmesan makes a great substitute. If you can find cotija simply swap both the feta and parmesan for cotija.
Spices: Cumin, Paprika, Salt, Chili Powder – add as much or as little as you’d like. If you like a little spice, try throwing in some cayenne pepper.
Butter – used to char the corn. I love the buttery flavor, but any oil you have on hand may also be used.
Corn – frozen or fresh corn may be used. If using frozen, there’s no need to thaw. I prefer frozen, because it requires less prep.

How to make

Make the cilantro lime sauce in a high powdered blender.
Stir together red pepper, cilantro, red onion, feta, parmesan, and spices into a large bowl then set aside.
Cook corn in melted butter in a very large sauté pan until nicely charred, pour into the bowl, toss with sauce, then serve and enjoy!

Tips

Use frozen corn. It tastes fresh and there’s no prep involved!
Use a very large pan. The more surface area you have, the easier it is for the corn to char.
Don’t be afraid of the char. Let the corn get nice and toasty brown, it adds so much flavor! If the corn starts to stick, turn the heat down a bit, drizzle in a little oil, and use a metal spatula to scrape the corn off the bottom. You could also grill fresh corn for a more traditional flavor.
Make this in advance. It gets better as it sits and reheats beautifully in the microwave. Can be served hot or cold and with optional chips!

What to serve with mexican street corn salad

This salad is great as a side to your favorite Mexican inspired dishes and is also amazing as a dip for tortilla chips!

Pro tip

Don’t forget Tres Leches for dessert!

How to store

Leftovers will last in a sealed airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. I don’t recommend freezing.

To enjoy again, serve chilled straight from the fridge or heat in the microwave until warm. Toss with additional cilantro lime sauce, if desired.

– Jennifer