Mexican Corn Salad is a wonderful fresh corn salad made for summer BBQ’s and Mexican feasts! It’s a giant salad form of Esquites, a corn street snack sold in cups on the streets of Mexico. Corn kernels are sautéed in butter and garlic until golden brown, then dressed in a creamy lime dressing and finished fresh coriander/cilantro and a hint of zing from Jalapeño. It’s outrageously and insanely good!
Mexican Corn Salad
This recipe generated a tizzy of excitement among my group of friends when I first started making it a few years back! Something a little different to the usual steamed-butter-slathered corn on the cob (and there is nothing wrong with that!!), it’s bright and colourful, and it’s a brilliant dish for sharing.
Mexican Corn Salad is essentially the giant salad form of Esquites which is a popular Mexican Street corn that is sold in cups by street vendors. And in fact, Esquites is the “off the cob” version of Elotes, the famous Mexican Street corn where cobs are grilled over charcoal before being slathered in a creamy-spicy sauce then rolled in crumbled cheese!
What goes in Mexican Corn Salad
Here’s what you need to make this corn salad:
The creamy dressing for Mexican Corn Salad
The dressing is a creamy mayonnaise based dressing with a lovely tang from lime juice and a savoury flavour boost from parmesan (this is the secret ingredient that gives this dish the wow factor!!).
You’ll find many versions use a lot more mayonnaise than I do. I prefer to use a mix of mayonnaise and sour cream to lighten it up a touch whilst still have a good amount of creamy dressing. This way we get the best of both worlds – lots of dressing but not overly rich! I use this for most of my mayo-based dressings, such as Coleslaw, Macaroni Salad, Broccoli Salad.
Fresh corn vs canned and frozen corn
This recipe will work with any type of corn BUT it is definitely best made with fresh corn because it browns the best when you sauté it in the butter and garlic.
How to cut corn off the cob
Here’s a tip for an easy way to cut corn kernels off the cob without the kernels flying everywhere! Just place an inverted ramekin in a large bowl OR use a bundt pan. Stand the corn cob on the ramekin then use a knife to cut the kernels off. The walls of the bowl / bundt pan will stop the kernels flying all over your counter!
How to make Mexican Corn Salad
This recipe starts off by pan frying the corn in butter and garlic until it’s tinged with gold, at which point you will need to summon the strength to not shovel spoonfuls of it straight into your mouth because golden brown buttery corn? YES!!!
But WAIT! It gets even better! While the corn is hot, add in the parmesan, mayonnaise, sour cream and lime and give it a good mix so the dressing melts and mingles with the butter on the corn and coats every kernel beautifully…
And lastly, we give it a hit of freshness with onion and coriander/cilantro, and jalapeño if you want a touch of heat, and finish with a sprinkle of Cotija (Mexican cheese like feta) if you happen to be fortunate enough to get your hands on it (which I am not) or feta, parmesan or goats cheese as a fallback.
Serve this as a side dish for all things Mexican. Take it to summer BBQ’s, potlucks, casual lunches, a side dish for dinner tonight.
Just find any excuse to make it! Because honestly, to say my friends love this corn salad is an understatement. Whenever it makes an appearance, we’re in a situation where you have to eat fast, or miss out.
Literally. You snooze, you lose.
– Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Mexican Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 5 cups corn cut from the cob (~4 large ears) (or frozen corn, not thawed, Note 1)
- 2 tbsp / 30g butter
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise (can cut down to 2 tbsp)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (or yoghurt)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese , finely grated (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp Jalapeno , deseeded and finely chopped (optional)
- 1 cup coriander / cilantro leaves , roughly chopped
- 1 cup green onion , finely sliced (~2 stems)
- 1/2 red onion , finely chopped
- 2 – 3 tbsp lime juice , fresh (plus more to taste)
Garnishes
- 60g / 2 oz Cotija or Feta , crumbled (optional) (Note 2)
- Jalapeno slices, coriander/cilantro leaves, lime wedges , optional
Instructions
- Cut off kernels: Cut the corn off the cob (see photo in post or video for how I do this without getting corn everywhere!) If using frozen, do not thaw.
- Brown corn: Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and stir for 10 seconds. Add corn and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until you get lovely golden brown bits and the corn is cooked and sweet (don't stir constantly, harder to brown).
- Season corn: Add salt and pepper halfway through cooking corn.
- Toss with dressing: Transfer corn into large bowl. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice and parmesan. Toss well to combine – heat will "melt" dressing. Add coriander/cilantro, red onion, green onion and jalaepno. Toss again.
- Serve: Transfer to serving bowl. Crumble over cotija/feta and garnishes of choice. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published March 2017. Updated with new video and photos!
Life of Dozer
Keeping this from the original publication date because it’s an adorable photo of him!
Whenever I take a photo of Dozer running, all I can think is that there’s a lot of flapping. Ears, giant tongue, mouth flap, that feathered tail.
I know how he feels. I have quite a bit of flappage when I run too….. 😂
This was awesome. My son does not care for cilantro (as in he can’t stand it in anything). Any suggestions for a substitution? Maybe just parsley?
Parsley or chives! N x
Got tons of compliments when I took this for a potluck dinner. Thank you for the awesome recipe.
That’s terrific to hear Ava! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review – N x
Absolutely delicious. Took to a potluck today and I got so many compliments, and several requests for the recipe.
Tangy, fresh, light, easy to make. Yummy!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
That’s fantastic to hear Michelle! Thank you for letting me know – N xx
This was really good! while i was making it my hubby was lurking in the kitchen sneaking little tastes and proclaiming it “amazing”. I made this for a potluck at work and it was a big hit. we also want to try some variations — we think it would be awesome with bacon (i mean, what isn’t better with bacon????), bell pepper, taco seasoning or barbecue seasoning. I’m looking forward to trying them.
Yes yes YES to the variations!!! Load it up! N xx
This was fantastic – But the Cotija cheese was absolutely critical! It has a sweetness unlike feta or parmesan and really made the dish. I added a finely chopped red and orange pepper just for color. Wonderful!
I WISH we could get it here! 😂
I’m planning on making this for a 40th Mexican fiesta. What mayonnaise do you use? Thanks 😀
Absolutely delicious!
I’m so pleased to hear you enjoyed this Angie! Thanks for letting me know! N xx
WOAH. Can’t wait to try this soon! I love corn
1. in your notes you mention that cheese is OPTIONAL ?!?!?. cheese is a must, so I’m not making this until I find cotija (or cave in and just use feta:) )
2. DOZEEERRRRR <3
Do you think some zest from the lime would be nice in this? I love the pop of freshness zest brings to things, so I try to use it where I can.
Hi Martina! Absolutely add lime zest if you want!!! Regarding the cheese, the PARMESAN is definitely not optional! Only the feta is optional 🙂 As for Dozer? You just hit my sweet spot. ❤️
I made this tonight with crispy fish and served it all in soft shell tacos (I don’t care it isn’t taco Tuesday…tacos are for every day 😉 )
It was soooooo good. I didn’t have any mayo (well I did but it was some dill and caper mayo that I made for a fish dish and I wasn’t sure it would work here) so I just used a bit more sour cream.
SO perfect with the crispy fish!!!!!! And everything is better in taco right?!?!?!!
YUM xx
Oooh….I want to come and be your neighbour! ?
This recipe found me at a perfect moment. After 20 years in New York City, I recently moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. There’s a degree of culture shock & I do get homesick for the city. We have amazing access to fresh, local produce in NC, so this recipe combined great local corn with the memory of favorite NYC street fair grub.
You always encourage variations & experimentation, so I added 3/4 of a finely diced, local poblano instead of jalapeno, since i had it & sprinkled the finished salad with a bit of smoked paprika & ancho chile.
It is divine!
I love hearing about variations! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this Fiona, thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x
Nagi,
Thank you for all of the effort you put into your research, cooking, and posting the recipes. I live in Michigan in the U.S.A.. God Bless you and your family
Hi Phil – thanks so much for your lovely message! I’m so glad you’re enjoying my recipes, I truly get a kick out of sharing my recipes, having the time of my life! ❤️ N xx
Glad you published this recipe Nagi. Very easy to make and yummy 🙂 I like it with the added lemon.
My daughter loves your dog! She is trying to decide which kind of dog to get for her birthday. She already has a German Shepherd.
Awwwww!!! GO A GOLDEN RETRIEVER!! They have the most amazing friendly personality and playfulness 🙂 My vote is in! 🙂 N xx
Easy and lovely corn salad. Perfect for the spring. Hugs!
Thank you Carlos! Hope you had a great weekend! N x
thank you for this recipe, would never have thought to use parmesan, it’s not listed in the ingredients but sprinkled over the top, nice addition!
Hi Sabrina! I just double checked, it’s in the ingredients! 🙂 I do hope you try it – and LOVE IT! 🙂 N xx
I made this last night and it was lovely. Husband and kids came back for more and that’s always a good sign. We used it with shredded BBQ chicken and in taco shells.
I may have gone overboard on the coriander, because lets face it, when you only use part of the bunch the other part gets shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten until it is too late! 😉
I know exactly what you mean Pam!!! Especial coriander, it dies so quickly 🙁 (Though I have discovered if you wrap in damp paper towel and put in plastic, it lasts up to a week!) So glad everyone enjoyed this, thanks for letting me know! N xx
So glad to see this recipe. It sounds great and looks delicious. I usually put some corn in my bean salads to lighten them up a bit. Now, I think I’ll use your basic recipe and add beans to make it more of a meal. 😉 This would make a great veggie taco filling or salsa-ish thing to add to a taco. Just an all-round great find. Thank you!
Ooh yes what a great idea! 🙂
Once again you’ve inspired me. I’m been wanting to make homemade flour tortillas for awhile and now I have a reason. The thought of your salad piled into fresh warm tortillas, yum!
Ooh and you just inspired me, I’ve been wanting to make tortillas too!!! I even have a press I brought back from Mexico!
Yummy, how far in advance can this be made?
Hi Joanne! Terrific for a couple of days, even 3 🙂
Excellant, have my daughters “Around the World” 21st coming up & a few of your recipes are going to make an appearance!
Ohhhhh! I love that birthday theme! ?
I don’t like to think about flappage either. It’s probably a good thing that I can’t run. 🙂
I love corn and this post reminds me I should do a post on Southern fried corn. While I think about that, I’m going to make your corn salad because it’s gorgeous!
BA HA HA!!!! You are TOO FUNNY MAUREEN! N xx
Can’t wait for fresh corn to be in season…I will be making this one all summer…thanks
Oooh I do hope you try it Lyn! It’s pretty darn tasty! 🙂 N xx
Love this recipe Nagi! Pretty sure it’s not traditional, but when I make this I’ll throw some cherry tomatoes in there… like a giant bowl of salad-y salsa!
Gosh this salad itself isn’t traditional! Throw in those tomatoes by all means! 🙂