This Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!
When I livedin San Antonio, I was a quick walk away from The Pearl, atrendy neighborhood with a bangin’ Mexican street food restaurant. Which meant that at any point in time I was just 10 minutes away from a margarita/sangria slush and elote.
Elote isa Mexican grilled corn on the cob that’s rolled in cotija cheese and slathered with a sour cream/mayo sauce. They’re heaven.
So I set out to create my own! But in meal form. And a little healthier. This is a healthy Mexican Street Corn Salad, the salad part meaning you can throw it onliterally everything.Eggs, tacos, chips, toast, burritos, salad, spoon…they’re all perfect vessels with which to inhale this street corn salad.
Mexican Street Corn Salad Ingredients
You’ll notice a few classic ingredients in here (like the salty cotija cheese), along with a few less traditional ingredients (like plain yogurt). All in all, it’s a quick recipe with simple ingredients that are easy to find!
Dressing: Traditional elote is served with mayonnaise, but we’re lightening it up by using plain Greek yogurt for a quick spiced dressing. (Sour cream can also be used – explore our Greek yogurt substitutes here)
Corn: Use corn on the cob or cans of corn, whatever is easiest for you! We’ll briefly cook it to develop those toasty charred flavors.
Black Beans: Black beans are great, but you could sub any canned bean you have on hand (kidney and pinto beans also work great).
Bell Pepper: A diced bell pepper adds freshness and crunch to our salad.
Red Onion: Finely chopped zingy onion brightens things up.
Cilantro: Don’t skimp on the cilantro, which adds that distinctly Tex Mex flair (the cilantro haters can leave it out if need be).
Cotija or Feta Cheese: Use cotija cheese if possible, though crumbled feta is a good substitute for cotija cheese.
Flavor Makers: Garlic, lime, and salt bring it all together into elote salad bliss.
What is Mexican Street Corn?
Mexican street corn, or elote, isa grilled corn on the cob that’s slathered with a spiced sour cream/mayo sauce and rolled in crumbly cotija cheese. Mexican Street Corn Salad is a potluck-ready version of it, throwing in a few add-ins and lightening up the sauce with Greek yogurt!
How to make corn salad
Step 1: Dressing Mix up the dressing ingredients first (this can even be done hours or days in advance).
Step 2: Cook Corn Heat oil over medium/high heat in a large saute pan then add garlic and corn. Cook about 15 minutes, flipping frequently, until corn begins to char a bit. This will create a great grill flavor that totally levels up the salad. Gently toss with lime juice and salt.
Step 3: Serve In a large bowl, combine corn mix, black beans, pepper, onion, cilantro, and cheese.
Drizzle sauce over and serve either warm or cold. Perfect over tacos, as a chip dip, or by itself!
Is Mexican Street Corn served hot or cold?
You can serve this Mexican Street Corn Salad warm (from the grilled corn when you first make it), but it can also be chilled and served cold (perfect for bringing to potlucks!)
This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a healthy, simple take on elote, the delicious Mexican street vendor version of corn on the cob!
Ingredients
Dressing
½cupplain nonfat yogurt*80 g
1Tbsplime juice15 mL
1tsphoney5 g
½tsppaprika
¼tspcumin
Salad
Splash of oil
4earscornabout 3 cups, 285 g of kernels, shucked and kernels removed
1clovegarlicminced
2Tbsplime juice30 mL
¼tspsalt
1cupcanned black beans200 g, drained and rinsed
1red bell pepperseeded and chopped
½cupchopped red onion35 g
½cuppacked fresh cilantrochopped
½cupcotija cheese88 g, crumbled, can sub feta
Instructions
Dressing: Mix all dressing ingredients and set aside.
Cook Corn: Heat oil over medium/high heat in a large saute pan then add garlic and corn. Cook about 15 minutes, flipping frequently, until corn begins to char a bit. Gently toss with lime juice and salt.**
Serve: In a large bowl, combine corn mix, black beans, pepper, onion, cilantro, and cheese. Drizzle sauce over and serve either warm or cold. Perfect over tacos, as a chip dip, or by itself!
Smoky, sweet, spicy, and tangy, esquites are the off-the-cob version of elotes—grilled on-the-cob Mexican street corn slathered with creamy, cheesy, lime-scented, chile-flecked sauce. Elotes are a staple on my balcony grill over the summer.
One can find them at local markets, and street vendors selling corn. The word esquites comes from the Nahuatl word ízquitl, which means "toasted corn".
Cotija cheese is a crumbly Mexican cheese that's similar to feta. You can find it at most big-chain grocery stores. Feta or parmesan will work, too. You can also grill a whole ear of corn (about 8 to 10 minutes until slightly charred on all sides) then cut the kernels off into a bowl.
I love the flavor of 100% mayo on elote, but if you prefer, you can sub Mexican crema or sour cream for some or all of it. Fresh lime juice and zest – For brightness. Chili powder or ancho chile powder – It adds smoky flavor and a little heat.
So, what's the difference between the two dishes? Well, it all comes down to the corn: elote is corn on the cob, while esquites is served in a bowl or cup. Esquites can also sometimes include additional ingredients that turn the dish into more of a salad instead of remaining 100% corn-focused.
The chili powder, cayenne pepper, garlic add just the right kick, while the lime juice and lime zest awaken all the flavors, and the Cotija cheese adds a salty punch. What we're left with is sweet, smoky bursts of corn, a creamy kick of heat and bursts of tangy lime. So, let me be clear, elote Mexicano is HEAVEN.
Elote (pronounced: eh-loh-teh) is a dish comprised of cooked sweet corn slathered in a spicy mixture of mayonnaise, crema, and chili powder, and then sprinkled with cheese.
Tajin- some sort of chili powder is usually added to elotes, and my favorite is Tajin. It's also something you can easily find at any grocery store. Hot sauce- This is optional- I like Tapatio or Valentina but you don't have to add hot sauce if you don't want to.
The classic seasoning for elote is chili powder, but we have also found that we love it with smoked paprika. So maybe do a few cobs with each and see which one you prefer.
Spanish for fresh cheese, queso fresco has a mild flavor. Queso fresco also originates in Mexico and is usually made with cow's milk but sometimes it's a mixture of goat and cow's milk. An unaged, white cheese, it is similar to Cotija cheese due to its soft yet firm texture.
One of Mexico's most famous cheeses, cotija is a semi-hard, slightly aged cheese with the crumbly texture of parmesan but a stronger, saltier flavor. Try as you might, cotija cheese won't melt, so it's sprinkled or crumbled on everything from soups and salads to tacos and tostadas.
Corn: White corn is traditionally used in Mexico, but yellow corn can be substituted. Cheese: Cotija cheese is traditional, but if you can't find it, substitute finely grated parmesan cheese.
A bold and versatile seasoning blend, our Elote Seasoning blend is filled with chili pepper, cumin, lime, parmesan cheese and garlic. Just as versatile as our Everything Bagel blend, this shaker is delicious on everything from elote street corn on the cob and scrambled eggs to popcorn and even BBQ pork ribs.
Queso fresco is much milder in flavor and less salty than cotija cheese. It also tends to be softer and creamier, while cotija is usually drier and more firm. While they definitely have distinct differences, cotija cheese and queso fresco are often used interchangeably in recipes like elotes.
Elote (eh-LOH-teh), also known as Mexican street corn, is salty, sweet, crunchy, and creamy in every bite. It hits all the right flavor notes, especially hot off the grill in the summer months when fresh corn is at its peak and abundantly available at every market.
Esquite, also called elote en vaso (corn in a cup), is a common snack sold from food carts in the streets of Mexico. It's similar to elote but the corn is cut off the cob and served warm, in disposable cups with Mexican crema, chili powder and lime.
Elote, also known as Mexican street corn, is a popular Mexican street food made from grilled or boiled ears of corn on the cob that is slathered in a creamy mayo sauce and garnished with chili powder, crumbled cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro. The word “elote” means “corn” in Spanish.
Also known as elote en vaso, esquites are an experience you'll remember. Esquites are Mexican street corn (elote) cut off the cob, served in salad form. Esquites are creamy, tangy, spicy, sweet and savory all at once.
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