I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Vegetables make the BEST fast food, corn in particular! You can eat corn raw, grilled, boiled, steamed, or even microwaved. But the only thing better than plain ol’ corn has to be this Street Corn Salad! It’s slathered in a tangy, creamy, spicy dressing and chock-full of cotija cheese and fresh cilantro—just like eloté, or ‘street corn,’ but in an easy-to-eat form. Don’t feel like wearing street corn all over your face at your next cookout? This method has you shaving corn off the cob first so you can enjoy every bite nice and clean.
Street corn salad, or esquites, is essentially an off-the-cob version of authentic eloté. It’s also known as eloté en vaso (corn in a cup) and is a majorly popular Mexican street food or snack. But where eloté is cooked on a grill and served on a stick, corn esquites is served in a cup or bowl—perfect for snacking on the go!
For this recipe, I mimic the chargrilled flavor by quickly roasting the corn kernels in a hot skillet. The corn is then tossed with the easiest and YUMMIEST homemade dressing ever—a mix of mayo, Greek yogurt, lime juice/zest, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and salt. This street corn salad recipe is tasty, budget-friendly, and SO simple to make!
Here’s what you’ll need to make street corn salad:
I can’t think of any summery meal that this recipe for street corn salad wouldn’t pair well with! Grilled chicken, turkey burgers, or our Tajín shrimp tacos would be great options. I also serve it as a ‘dip’ with tortilla chips – try it out!
Street corn salad is delicious when served hot or cold. You can enjoy it right away or store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. An airtight container works best for keeping the salad fresh! Give everything a good mix to redistribute the dressing before serving.
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Use a sharp knife to shave the kernels from 5 husked ears of corn into a large bowl.
Mince ¼ cups of fresh cilantro and (if using) dice 2 Tbsp of pickled red onion and 1 Tbsp of pickled jalapeño into small pieces. Gather 3 Tbsp of cotija cheese and set everything aside while making the salad dressing.
Add 3 Tbsp of mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt, ¼ tsp smoked paprika, ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper, ¼ tsp chili powder, and ¼ tsp sea salt. Zest and juice one lime, and add the zest and juice to the bowl with the other ingredients.
Whisk everything together until smooth and creamy.
Heat a dry skillet over high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the kernels and stir them every 30 seconds or so until some have charred. You don’t need to add any oil to the skillet or cook them for long – about 5 minutes is more than enough. We just want to add a little color and smoky flavor to the corn.
Take the corn off the heat and add it to a large serving bowl. Pour the dressing over the browned corn kernels.
Add the ¼ cup minced cilantro, 3 Tbsp cotija cheese, and (if using) the 2 Tbsp diced pickled red onions and 1 Tbsp diced jalapeño to the corn. Toss everything together until evenly coated in dressing and well combined. Serve warm, or let it chill in the fridge before serving. I always sprinkle some extra chili powder on top because I like it spicy, but that step is totally optional. Enjoy!
This delicious street corn salad recipe will be the star of your next summer cookout!
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