This Mexican street corn salad is my healthy version of elotes – grilled corn slathered in mayo, crema (something between American sour cream and French crème fraîche – in Ukraine), cotija cheese, cilantro and chile (chili) powder (anyways, something red). We saw elotes sold on every major street corner while living in Cabo for a month. Can we call it esquites? Um, yeah, probably not since mature corn boiled in salted water and then sautéed in butter is not involved.
Let’s just say it’s summer-y, sweet, creamy, cheesy, easy healthy corn salad that will disappear fast at any gathering!
MY LATEST RECIPES
Mexican Street Corn Salad Ingredients
- Fresh Corn: I make this salad only in summer because there is nothing better than local juicy, sweet, plump and bright yellow corn. Check corn for quality right at the store – shucking a bit at the top or completely (many stores provide garbage bin solely for this purpose) and pick only good looking ears. I share my favourite ways how to cook corn below.
- Feta Cheese: I live no near Mexican store. I can assure you feta cheese is a great substitute and adds essential creaminess and saltiness to this Mexican street corn salad.
- Yogurt and Mayo: I added just the right proportions of mayo and yogurt because Mexican street corn salad is not itself if you can’t taste mayo, and too much mayo makes it unhealthy and too-mayo.
- Spices: That’s where things become personal. I used cilantro, garlic and cayenne. You definitely can add paprika and chili (chile) powder.
- Avocado: You can absolutely add a few diced avocados.
How to Cook Corn on the Cob
- I am not gonna lie when I say I made Instant Pot corn 5 times out of total 7 times cooking corn on the cob this summer. It takes 2 minutes, keeps my house cool and is completely hands off method. I can stuff my 8 quart Instant Pot with 8 large ears of corn to the brim.
- Grill corn without the husk on medium heat for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes or so.
How to Serve Mexican Street Corn Salad
Only with meatballs and spaghetti! Only! There is no other way!
Just kidding. That’s what I made that day. Serve however you like but I highly recommend my healthy turkey meatballs. Oh, and the temperature doesn’t matter. I love this salad both warm and cold, but probably warm a tad bit more.
How to Make Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Cook corn by boiling it for 15 minutes or by grilling on medium heat for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Or even better – make Instant Pot corn in 2 minutes! Let cool until safe to handle.
- Using sharp chef’s knife remove corn kernels off the cob by cutting lengthwise. And Ukrainian in me cleaned up those ears pretty clean afterwards – so much food would have been wasted.
- In a large salad bowl, add corn, cilantro, feta cheese, lemon or lime juice, yogurt, mayo, salt, cayenne and black pepper to taste.
- Stir gently and serve warm or cold. Welcome to the streets of Mexico!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
This Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe is an easy and healthy representation of Mexican street corn on the cob called elotes. Bring as a dip or salad to a potluck.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 6 large ears of corn, shucked
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 large lemon or 1 lime, juice of
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt, 2+% fat
- 3 tbsp mayo (I used avocado oil)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- Ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook corn by boiling it for 15 minutes or by grilling on medium heat for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Or even better – make Instant Pot corn in 2 minutes! Let cool until safe to handle.
- Using sharp chef’s knife remove corn kernels off the cob by cutting lengthwise. And Ukrainian in me cleaned up those ears pretty clean afterwards – so much food would have been wasted.
- In a large salad bowl, add corn, cilantro, feta cheese, lemon or lime juice, yogurt, mayo, salt, cayenne and black pepper to taste.
- Stir gently and serve warm or cold. Welcome to the streets of Mexico!
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 48 hours.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
I love sweet corn and this sounds yummy and I will definitely make your meatballs with it too for more protein.
★★★★★
I love sweet corn and this sounds good. I hate people who leave the corn uncovered in the stores and let them dry out though. That is not good at all. I will definitely try this recipe with your meatballs too for protein. Yum!
That’s a good point! I buy some of that corn because to me it doesn’t look that bad. I’m less picky. Overall, I think it’s not a huge dent on food waste issue.:)
I have a slight fear of corn because I’ve read that it’s one of the most genetically modified foods out there. Do you think local fresh corn is safe? I might be totally wrong on this, so would you please share your thoughts? I could go without regular old corn on the cob, but this salad! I need it! I have everything to make it except the corn! Thanks for so many great recipes.
Usually local corn is non-GMO whenever I asked. In packages in Costco and big giants I’m not so sure, I wouldn’t trust Walmart for sure. But find local stand or even supplier to local store, and ask. What about farmer’s market? Usually it’s non-GMO corn. GMO corn is mainly grown for feed and making vegetable oil. For consumption less chances.:)
Thanks for the feedback. My parents live out in the country and have a neighbor/ farmer who grows corn and sells it. I may still have time to get some before he runs out!