Who doesn't love buttery, sweet, warm corn? My Mexican Corn Salad takes warm, buttered corn to the next level with hot chipotle sauce, fresh coriander, lots of tangy lime, salty cheese, garlic and chilli. Is your mouth watering yet? Make my delicious 10-minute recipe ASAP!
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🌽 What is Mexican Corn Salad?
Elote is a famous Mexican street corn snack of whole corn grilled on fire and slathered with a creamy, garlic and chilli sauce topped with Cotija cheese. Mexican Corn Salad is a salad version of Elote, also known as Esquites. Esquites are corn salads sold in cups or bowls through the streets of Mexico and parts of the southern US. Fresh corn cobs are shucked and the kernels are cooked in a pan on high heat to char them and bring out their sweetness. They are then tossed in a bowl with spring onion (scallions), coriander (cilantro), spicy Chipotle sauce, creamy yoghurt, lots of lime, jalapeno and parmesan or pecorino cheese. Just like its Indian counterpart - the famous Corn Chaat, this Mexican Corn Salad is bursting with big flavours.
Why you'll love it!
- All the goodness of grilled corn but in an easy-to-eat salad bowl.
- Delicious Mexican flavours - spicy, salty, sour and a hint of sweet.
- Easy, one-pan recipe.
- Ready in under 10 minutes.
- Skips the mayonnaise and is still creamy, healthy, and light with the use of yoghurt.
📝 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Corn - Use fresh corn cobs for this recipe. Fresh corn browns well in a hot pan and gives you that charred, grilled corn flavour. If you don't have any, substitute with canned corn kernels but make sure you drain them thoroughly. If using frozen corn kernels, I like to thaw them in the microwave for 30-40 seconds and drain out the icy liquid before adding them to the pan to cook.
- Chipotle sauce - I use either Chipotle or Chipotle in Adobo sauce. Both have a gentle smoky heat that makes this recipe extra delicious. If you can't find any, simply leave it out or add a tablespoon of your favourite Taco sauce or chunky salsa.
- Jalapeno - If you don't like spice too much, deseed your jalapeno before chopping. I keep the seeds as I love my spice. Green cayenne pepper is a good substitute for jalapeno.
- Yoghurt - Yoghurt is a lighter, healthier dressing choice that still makes this salad incredibly creamy and delicious. You can substitute with mayonnaise if you like.
- Cheese - Traditionally, Mexican corn is slathered with Cotija cheese. This is a mildly salty Mexican cheese with a milky taste. Although it crumbles like feta, it is not as sharp and salty as feta. I have never found Cotija here in Australia and although I love using feta in my Feta Corn Salad and feel that corn and feta are a match made in heaven, for this recipe I love a strong Pecorino or Parmesan. It adds a deep savouriness to the sweet, buttered corn and is truly fabulous.
- Butter and oil - I like to use a combination of butter and oil to fry the corn. There is clever science behind it. Oil has a high smoke point and butter has an incredible flavour. By using both, you are essentially creating a mixture that allows you to sear and char at a higher temperature than just butter would've provided. And you get that incredibly delicious buttery flavour infused in your corn when it browns beautifully.
- Onion, garlic, spring onions, coriander, lime.
- Smoked paprika and cumin.
🥣 How to make Mexican Corn Salad?
- Shuck corn kernels using a sharp knife.
- Heat butter and oil in a heavy cast-iron or non-stick pan.
3. Saute onion and garlic until caramelized.
4. Add corn to the pan.
5. Add chipotle sauce. Mix well.
6. Cook corn for 5-8 minutes until starting to brown.
7. Add jalapeno, spring onion and coriander.
8. Top with parmesan or pecorino cheese and squeeze lime juice.
Mix well. Add yoghurt, smoked paprika and cumin. Serve with lime wedges.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
This is a delicious, flavour-packed light meal that is fantastic on its own. Serve it as part of a larger meal with these delicious recipes.
🙋🏼♀️ Recipe FAQs
Yes, the beauty of this salad is that you don't need a barbecue or fancy open fire to grill the corn. Instead, shucked corn kernels are cooked in a searing hot pan with butter and oil till they are beautifully browned.
Like most street food recipes, this salad tends to be rich and decadent because it uses a lot of mayonnaise and cheese. You can make it lighter and healthier when you cook it at home by substituting mayonnaise with yoghurt and using lighter cheese.
Freezing is not recommended. This salad is best eaten warm from the pan but can stay fresh in the fridge in a lidded container for up to 4 days.
💛 More Easy Corn Recipes
Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups (650 g) fresh corn kernels
- 3 teaspoons Chipotle sauce
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 cup sliced spring onions, green only
- ½ cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded and finely diced
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, grated or shaved
- Flaky salt, to taste
- 3 tablespoons yoghurt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- lime wedges, extra to serve
Instructions
- Heat oil and butter in a large, shallow cast-iron or non-stick pan on medium-high.
- Add onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes until onion starts to caramelize.
- Add corn kernels and chipotle sauce. Mix and sauté for 5-8 minutes until corn is cooked and tender and starting to brown. Remove from heat.
- Add lime juice, spring onion, jalapeno, coriander, cheese and salt. Mix well.
- Dollop yoghurt and sprinkle paprika and cumin. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- Corn - Use fresh corn cobs for this recipe. Fresh corn browns well in a hot pan and gives you that charred, grilled corn flavour. If you don't have any, substitute with canned corn kernels but make sure you drain them thoroughly. If using frozen corn kernels, I like to thaw them in the microwave for 30-40 seconds and drain out the icy liquid before adding them to the pan to cook.
- Chipotle sauce - I use either Chipotle or Chipotle in Adobo sauce. Both have a gentle smoky heat that makes this recipe extra delicious. If you can't find any, simply leave it out or add a tablespoon of your favourite Taco sauce or chunky salsa.
- Jalapeno - If you don't like spice too much, deseed your jalapeno before chopping. I keep the seeds as I love my spice. Green cayenne pepper is a good substitute for jalapeno.
- Yoghurt - Yoghurt is a lighter, healthier dressing choice that still makes this salad incredibly creamy and delicious. You can substitute with mayonnaise if you like.
- Cheese - Traditionally, Mexican corn is slathered with Cotija cheese. This is a mildly salty Mexican cheese with a milky taste. Although it crumbles like feta, it is not as sharp and salty as feta. I have never found Cotija here in Australia and although I love using feta in my Feta Corn Salad and feel that corn and feta are a match made in heaven, for this recipe I love a strong Pecorino or Parmesan. It adds a deep savouriness to the sweet, buttered corn and is truly fabulous.
- Butter and oil - I like to use a combination of butter and oil to fry the corn. There is clever science behind it. Oil has a high smoke point and butter has an incredible flavour. By using both, you are essentially creating a mixture that allows you to sear and char at a higher temperature than just butter would've provided. And you get that incredibly delicious buttery flavour infused in your corn when it browns beautifully.
- Storage - Cooked and assembled salad stays fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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