Street Corn Salad
This Street Corn Salad is my favorite side dish to serve with tacos or fajitas! It’s great for a crowd because you can make it ahead of time and you can make it as spicy or as mild as you like.
The first time I tried street corn, I was hooked. But I didn’t love how messy it was to eat! So I was excited to learn about a dish called Esquites. It’s Mexican street corn served off the cob in a cup. It’s the perfect side dish for your favorite Mexican food and you’re less likely to end up with cheese on your chin. This isn’t an authentic recipe, but it’s easy to make and it’s a tasty side dish for tacos! If you’re looking for an authentic Esquites recipe, try this one.
Tips for Making the Perfect Street Corn Salad
- If you like it spicy, you can add a whole jalapeño! Just be sure to finely dice it so the heat is evenly distributed.
- This is great served with tacos or fajitas as a side dish but it’s also great as a chip dip!
- Be sure not to overcook the corn. You want it slightly toasted but not mushy. If you don’t have a really large skillet, heat the frozen corn in batches to avoid overcooking the corn. I usually use frozen corn so once it’s thawed and bright yellow, I remove it from the heat. It should look like the corn below.
How to Serve Street Corn Salad
- Try this as a stand-alone side dish paired with fajitas or tacos
- Serve it as a dip with tortilla chips
- Enjoy it on top of your favorite tacos or taco salad!
How to Store Leftovers
This salad is actually better when it’s made a few hours in advance because it gives the flavors time to combine! So feel free to prepare it in advance. If you have leftover salad, store it in the fridge in a sealed container or with plastic wrap.
Substitution Ideas
If you don’t have any fresh limes, substitute a squeeze of lemon juice instead. It can work in a pinch! You can also buy lime juice and store it in the fridge. Santa Cruz makes a great lime juice that tastes just like fresh squeezed lime juice!
This recipe calls for feta cheese because that’s usually easier to find. But if you have cotija cheese, feel free to use that for a more authentic flavor! You can also use queso fresco.
You can use fresh, frozen, or canned corn. Look for sweet corn, if you can find it. Do not use creamed corn.
PrintStreet Corn Salad
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 12 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
Description
This Street Corn Salad is a great side dish to serve with tacos or fajitas!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 24 oz frozen corn (about 5 cups of corn)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 8 oz queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1/2 jalapeño, diced
- 3 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, for 30 seconds.
- Add the frozen corn and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently. (The corn should be warm but don’t overcook the kernels or they’ll become mushy.)
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, cheese, and lime juice.
- Stir in the diced jalapeño, red onion, cilantro, chili powder, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
- Add in the corn into the cheese mixture and stir until well coated.
- Add salt to taste, then serve.
Notes
This street corn salad can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature.
One of the things I love about this side dish is that you can make it ahead of time and then just pop it in the fridge for a couple of hours. This recipe makes a huge batch and it always gets eaten. I think that’s a pretty good sign!
Looking for something to serve it with? This spicy street corn salad goes perfectly with these 5 ingredient black bean enchiladas!
Need a vegan side dish option? Make this black bean and corn salad or try it with a side of Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Brown Rice, or make seasoned rice in your rice cooker!
The flavors are totally spot-on here! What a wonderful (and colorful!) party salad and side dish!
I made this for our Taco Tuesday girls get together.
It was a massive hit!
I used it to top some lime chicken tacos. SOOOOO amazing
Thank you 😀
Mexican street corn is one of my faaaaaaavorite things in the whole world! I’m all for and easier way to enjoy it! Where’s my spoon!!?
I’m addicted to Mexican street corn! I’m going to try toasting the corn next time! Great idea and recipe!
Cannot wait to serve these up for taco Tuesday tonight! Loving that it’s make-ahead friendly for party prep!
I hope this isn’t a dumb question but is this supposed to be served cold or warm?
Haha not a dumb question! Honestly I’ve served it warm, cold, or room temperature! (Just don’t leave it at room temperature too long because of the cheese & mayo!) If I have it as a side dish I like it cold but if I’m putting it on top of tacos then I’ll serve it warm!
Ha! Thanks so much! 🙂
How do you suggest reheating this dish?
I’ve been salivating to make this all day since I bought the ingredients for it last night, made it for lunch and it is delicious! I think I may have eaten probably 2 servings worth once it was done though….guilty.
I DID do a half and half sub of mayo and mexican crema – and I added a BUNCH of chipotle powder, and the flavors were incredible. Sweet from the corn, savory from the mayo/creme, spicy from the chipotle and jalapeno, and bright and fresh from the cilantro and lime. You truly can’t ask for more in a dish. I had prepped it to go along with some shrimp tacos….but it’s too good, I just eat it on its own 😉 Great job!
I love Mexican street corn salad, but usually do a different recipe but yours looks so good I’m trying it out!! Do you toast the corn from frozen or do you thaw the corn first then toast?
I usually just toast it when it’s still frozen!
Love how you changed a street food into a wonderful salad. This is so full of flavor and will be a hit with my family.
Love this!! SO so good. I love how easy Mexican corn dishes are and how much fun to make!