Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

An overhead view of a white bowl that is filled with a large serving of Mexican street corn salad (equites) with a small bowl of crumbled cheese and a fresh jalapeño sitting nearby.

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American / Mexican

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 30

Servings:

Calories: 164kcal

Author: Kris Longwell

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites) is a vibrant explosion of summertime goodness. It's the perfect side dish for a BBQ, picnic, or outdoor gathering. Grilling fresh corn is wonderful, but charring frozen corn in a hot skillet is perfectly fine, too. The salad can be prepared several hours in advance of serving.

Print Recipe

Equipment

1 Gas, charcoal, or electric grill

Ingredients

olive oil for brushing corn
8 ears corn husked and silk removed
½ cup Mexican crema see NOTES
½ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup Cotija cheese crumbled, plus extra for garnish
1 lime juiced, about 2 tbsp
1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
⅓ cup green onions chopped, about 2 bunches
1 jalapeño stem, seeds, and ribs removed, chopped
⅓ cup cilantro fresh, chopped, plus extra for garnish
lime wedges for garnish

Instructions

Prepare your grill to medium-high heat.
Brush olive oil over all ears of corn. Place the corn over direct heat on the grill and cook until lightly charred, turning occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the corn from the grill and when cool enough to handle, use a large sharp knife to cut the kernels from the cob into a large bowl.
olive oil, 8 ears corn
In a small bowl, mix together the cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, salt, and cayenne. Toss the corn with the green onions, jalapeño, and cilantro. Gently pour the dressing over the vegetables. Pour a little at a time, stirring to coat the veggies. Depending on how wet you prefer your salad, you may not use all of the dressing. Save any leftover dressing for another use.
½ cup Mexican crema, ½ cup mayonnaise, ¾ cup Cotija cheese, 1 lime, 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ⅓ cup green onions, 1 jalapeño, ⅓ cup cilantro
Serve at once, or cover and refrigerate. Set the salad out for about an hour before serving to allow it to come to room temperature. Garnish with extra crumbled Cotija, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.
lime wedges

Video

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.

In the video, we add all of the ingredients to the bowl and then toss to coat. Since then, we've updated the recipe to make the dressing first, and then add as much as you want to reach the desired consistency. If you don't use all of the dressing and then refrigerate the salad, you'll probably want to pour in a little more dressing just before serving, as the veggies will absorb some of it.

If you can't find Mexican crema, combine ¼ cup sour cream with ¼ heavy cream (or half and half). Crumbled Queso Fresco or feta cheese can be substituted for the Cotija.

The salad can be assembled up to 3 to 4 hours before serving. Keep covered in the fridge until about an hour before serving (let it come to room temperature before serving: about 1 hour on the counter).

Leftovers will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Nutrition