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Close-up photo of a large wooden bowl holding a Mexican street corn salad.

Mexican Street Corn Salad

40aprons.com/mexican-street-corn-salad/
This salad is loaded with all the flavors of traditional elote like sweet corn, salty cotija cheese, creamy mayo, and tangy lime juice.
Prep 15 minutes
Cook 15 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Recipe Makes (Approximate): 10 servings

Equipment

  • grill or broiler
  • Tongs
  • Sharp chef's knife
  • Large bowl
  • small mixing bowl
  • whisk
  • Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula

Ingredients

  • 8 large ears corn (husked; approximately 5 ounces each)
  • ¼ cup melted butter
  • 6 tablespoons mayonnaise (plus more as desired)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (juice from approximately 1 large lime; plus more as desired)
  • 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese (plus more for serving)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves (plus more for serving)
  • salt (to taste)
  • freshly cracked black pepper (to taste)
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • minced red onion

Instructions

  • Preheat grill to medium, between 350° and 375° Fahrenheit.
  • Once grill is preheated, lay 8 large ears corn on grill grate over indirect heat. Grill corn 10 minutes, flipping ears of corn occasionally to grill all sides evenly.
  • Once ears of corn have charred slightly on all sides, carefully remove corn from grill and set aside to cool slightly.
  • When corn is cool enough to handle, stand one ear upright in large bowl. Position sharp chef's knife at top of corn ear and carefully push knife down corn cob, slicing kernels away from cob. Repeat on all sides of each ear of corn. Discard corn cobs.
  • Add ¼ cup melted butter, 6 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper to small mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until incorporated.
  • Taste mixture and add mayonnaise or lime juice as desired to achieve preferred flavor and consistency.
  • When satisfied with flavor, pour mixture over corn kernels in large bowl. Gently stir mixture into corn until kernels are fully coated.
  • Sprinkle ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, minced red onion, and additional cotija evenly over top over corn mixture. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

  • Corn: Grilled corn is preferable, and broiled is my second favorite option, but you can use boiled or canned corn instead if needed. For boiled, read my post on how to boil corn. For canned, use 4 15-ounce cans. Drain well, then add corn and 2 cups water to a saucepan over medium heat. Let it simmer until the liquid is almost totally gone, about 5-10 minutes.
  • Cotija: If you can't find cotija, you can use fresh parmesan or even feta cheese in a pinch.

Nutrition Information (Approximate)

Serving Size: 1servingCalories: 228calProtein: 5gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 264mgPotassium: 222mgTotal Carbs: 20gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gNet Carbs: 18gVitamin A: 493IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 80mgIron: 1mg
Recipe By: Cheryl Malik
https://40aprons.com/mexican-street-corn-salad/