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!
Hubby can’t stand the taste of cilantro. I heard lemon and and parsley is a good substitute for cilantro and lime..
But Maybe I’ll toss just a tiny bit of parsley with lime to add that pop of green 🤞🏽
I’d love to know how it turns out! Good luck!
I am making the recipe right now.. but I’m just a little confused 🤦🏼♀️ 2bags 14oz of corn. It says it make enough for a large party but it doesn’t seem like it is a lot.. Does it work out to 4 cups of frozen corn?? . I don’t want to mess up the sauce to corn ratio lol and ruin it if I’m not using enough corn. Help!
Hi Christina! It’s probably closer to 5-6 cups. I wouldn’t stress too much as long as you have about 5-6 cups!
Thank you so much Liz 🙏🏼 I was like oh no. I am making this to go along with a beef and pulled pork taco bar for the mother in laws surprise birthday party and I do not want to screw up. I hope it’s a hit eeee !!🤗
Good luck!! I hope you love it!!
Will this work with parsley and lemon instead of cilantro and lime??
Hmm I think that might change the flavors. You could probably get away with substituting one but I’d be hesitant to do both. If you don’t have cilantro you could try just leaving that out entirely!
This was such an easy dish to make and so flavorful too! I loved it!
This is such a great side dish! I love salads like this that can be thrown together quickly but still have lots of flavor.
I love everything Mexican and I bet I will love this spicy street corn salad a lot! And I don’t like “cheese-on-a-chin” situations so this recipe is perfect! 🙂
Yum! I love that you put feta in it too!
This is one of my very favorite side dishes! So flavorful!
What a fabulous dish! I can’t wait to make this 🙂 YUM
Julie
Wow! This looks so good! I love that it is spicy, it would be a hit in my house!
Amazing !! Cast skillet cooked the corn beaut ! Thanks for the recipe