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This bright, fresh and delicious Mexican Street Corn Salad will become a summer favorite! Light, creamy, zesty and with a kick of heat, it’s an easy and vibrant side, like sunshine in a bowl!
Creamy avocado, juicy corn and a host of other goodies come together for the ultimate summer salad. Get all the flavors of street corn but in salad form with this Mexican Street Corn Salad. It’s covered in the most gorgeous homemade mayo dressing and topped with tangy cotija cheese – fresh and delicious!
If you’re after other delicious salad recipes, why not also try my Spicy Salmon Salad Recipe or my Avocado Mango Salad!
Why you’ll love this Street Corn Salad
- Packed with Mexican flavor. This is a twist on the classic Mexican street corn. It’s a creamy, spicy and vibrant salad that’s loaded with a fiesta of flavors!
- A delicious homemade dressing. Mayo, limes, Mexican cream and chili combine with a host of other mouthwatering ingredients to create a zesty, spicy and super satisfying dressing.
- An easy summer salad. This Street Corn Salad tastes as good as it looks and it’s so easy to make! Make a big batch in around 20 mins!
Ingredients you’ll need
- Veggies: Corn kernels, bell peppers, avocados, onion, jalapeno
- Butter
- Cilantro
- Lime
For the dressing
- Mayo
- Limes
- Mexican Cream or Sour Cream
- Seasoning: Chili powder, paprika, black pepper, salt
- Cotija Cheese
- Olive Oil
How to make this Street Corn Salad
- Cook the vegetables. In a skillet, melt butter then add the corn, followed by the bell pepper, finally the rest of the veggies. Mix well.
- Make the dressing. In another bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together. Dice the avocados and add both the diced avocados and dressing together in the bowl with remainder of the ingredients.
- Combine. Toss gently to coat the corn salad very well with the dressing.
- Garnish. Sprinkle some more grated cotija cheese on top as well as some fresh cilantro and chili powder for garnishing purposes. Also serve with some lemon wedges if desired.
Recipe notes and tips
- For another layer of flavor, roast the jalapeno alongside the corn if you like. This also tones down the spice of the jalapenos.
- You can use fresh or frozen corn.
- If using frozen there’s no need to thaw the corn before hand.
- You want to cook your corn until it gets a light char.
- For a smoky flavor, fire up the grill and cook the corn on the cob, then cut it off and add to the skillet.
- Make sure to finely chop your onion, you don’t want big slivers to overpower the rest of the ingredients.
- This is a great salad, but can also be used as a delicious filling in a taco!
FAQ’s
Which is better – fresh or frozen corn?
Either will work great in this Mexican Street Corn Salad. Frozen means you can make this salad any time of the year, but fresh is, understandably, nice and fresh! The most important thing is to get a lovely char on your corn when you cook it, to give the salad that street corn flavor!
How to you cut corn from the cob?
Corn straight off the cob is fresh, juicy and bursting with flavor but they can be messy to cut from the cob. You can get a tool called ‘the corn stripper’, but if you don’t have one that’s fine! Simple place your ear of corn in a medium to large bowl and cut down the side with a sharp knife.
Do I have to use Cotija Cheese?
Cotija cheese is widely available in grocery stores, but you can can swap for a crumbly/creamy feta cheese or a sprinkle of tangy Parmesan.
Storing leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge, it should be good for 3-4 days. Be mindful that the avocado can start to brown fairly quickly. If you;re making ahead. Store in the fridge but leave out the avocado, dressing and cheese until you are ready to serve. I wouldn’t recommend freezing.
Other delicious salad recipes
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Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 6 cups corn kernels , frozen or fresh from cobb
- 1 small red bell pepper, petite diced
- 2 small avocados, ripe but firm
- 1/4 cup purple onion, finely diced
- 2 tbsps cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
- 1 whole lime, quartered for garnishing
- 2 tbsps butter
Dressing
- 3 tbsps mayo, or lite mayo
- 1-2 whole limes, depending on size and your taste
- 1/4 cup Mexican cream , or sour cream
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese, finely grated
- 1 tbsp olive oil, lightly flavored
- salt, optional if needed
Instructions
- In a 12 inch skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat and add in the corn. Cook them, stirring occasionally until the kernels start obtaining grill like marks.
- Add in the red bell pepper and cook with the corn for another 1-2 minutes until they are tender. Remove from heat and transfer the corn to a bowl to cool.
- Once the corn has cooked down, add in remainder of the vegetables. Mix to toss well.
- In another bowl, mix the dressing ingredients together. Dice the avocados and add both the diced avocados and dressing together in the bowl with remainder of the ingredients.
- Toss gently with to coat the corn salad very well with the dressing.
- Transfer to a serving dish. Sprinkle some more grated cotija cheese on top as well as some fresh cilantro and chili powder for garnishing purposes. Also serve with some lemon wedges if desired.
Video
Notes
- For another layer of flavor, roast the jalapeno alongside the corn if you like. This also tones down the spice of the jalapenos.
- You can use fresh or frozen corn.
- If using frozen there’s no need to thaw the corn before hand.
- You want to cook your corn until it gets a light char.
- For a smoky flavor, fire up the grill and cook the corn on the cob, then cut it off and add to the skillet.
- Make sure to finely chop your onion, you don’t want big slivers to overpower the rest of the ingredients.
- This is a great salad, but can also be used as a delicious filling in a taco!
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It’s EXCELLENT!!!❤️Very easy to brown corn on grill and cut off. Tasty with chips or as a salad.
Hi Julie,
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for leaving a review.
This was so good! I sprinkled a little bit of Tajin on it and oh boy, it took it to another level!
Yum! Thanks so much for the review Penny. Glad you enjoyed it.
When you say “whole limes” for the dressing, does that mean the juice of 1-2 limes?
Yes
Is this best served warm, room temp, cold?
It’s best served room temperature right when you make it or cold, if you make it ahead.
Is this served warm or cold?
cold or room temp.
Can you freeze this in an air tight container for later ?
I am not a fan of freezing salads that are already dressed but you can try. It may work for you. I like just eating everything fresh.
This recipe became an instant family favorite. The flavors mix very well, and the bright colors make for a very appetizing appearance. Thanks for posting, Miriam E!
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thank so much for leaving a review Laura!