Mexican Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing
Packed with delicious ingredients for tons of flavor and topped with a creamy cilantro-lime dressing the whole family will love. Great as a side dish or main course with your favorite protein!
Yield: servings
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
- mason jar with lid or other airtight container, to store dressing
- Large skillet
- Tongs
- Large plate
- Paper towels
- Large salad bowl or individual serving bowls
- salad servers
Ingredients
For the Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- 1 medium jalapeño seeded & coarsely chopped, optional
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup plain yogurt or sour cream
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 2-3 tablespoons honey plus more to taste, see Notes
- ½-¾ teaspoons salt more or less to taste
- ½ packed cup cilantro leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
For the Tortilla Strips
- 3 6-inch corn tortillas sliced into ½-inch strips
- neutral-tasting oil for frying
- salt to taste
For the Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce chopped into roughly ½-inch-long pieces; approximately 8 cups total
- one quarter of one medium red onion diced, or halved then sliced thinly
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- half of one large cucumber chopped, approximately 1 cup
- 2 ears corn see Notes
- 1 ½ cups canned black beans drained, rinsed
- 4-5 small radishes thinly sliced
- 1 medium avocado peeled, pitted, sliced thin
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco or crumbled feta
- ¼ cup roasted salted pepitas
- finely chopped cilantro optional
Instructions
For the Cilantro-Lime Dressing
- Add jalapeño and garlic to food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped.
- Add mayonnaise, yogurt, lime juice, honey, salt, and cilantro leaves. Pulse several times until fully blended.
- With food processor running, slowly add in oil until fully incorporated. Taste, adding more salt if necessary.
- Transfer to jar with lid and chill until ready to serve.
For the Tortilla Strips
- Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
- When oil is hot, lay strips in skillet. Work in batches if needed.
- Fry tortilla strips 3-5 minutes. Stir or flip as needed to cook evenly, careful not to burn.
- Transfer fried tortilla strips to plate lined with paper towels. Sprinkle salt over strips to taste and let rest on paper towels until oil is drained.
Assemble the Salad
- Add lettuce, onion, tomatoes, cucumber, corn, black beans, and radishes to large salad bowl and toss to distribute all ingredients as evenly as possible.
- If serving entire salad immediately, add dressing to bowl and toss to coat. If serving individual portions or if you expect leftovers, skip this step and serve the dressing separately.
- Garnish with avocado, queso fresco, pepitas, tortilla strips, and cilantro if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Honey: For a tangier dressing with a slight hint of sweetness, use just 2 tablespoons of honey. For a sweeter, smoother dressing use 3 tablespoons up to 4.
- Corn: Cut your corn right off the cob. Grill or broil it before using it in your salad, or use it raw. You can also substitute 1 ½ - 2 cups of frozen or canned corn. Be sure to drain and rinse the canned corn first.
- Dressing: You likely won't use all of the dressing in your salad. Refrigerate any leftover dressing in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Make it Vegan: For the dressing, use vegan mayo and plain, dairy-free yogurt. Use maple syrup instead of honey. For the salad, skip the queso fresco or try a vegan feta in its place.
- Make it Lower Carb: Skip the tortilla strips! They add a nice crunch but they're not integral to the dish.
Nutrition
Serving Size: 1serving | Calories: 802cal | Protein: 15g | Fat: 65g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 894mg | Potassium: 1203mg | Total Carbs: 47g | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 16g | Net Carbs: 33g | Vitamin A: 14269IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 245mg | Iron: 4mg