Mexican Street Corn Salad (Elote Salad)

A sweet corn salad with Mexican style.

This Mexican street corn salad recipe, or eloté salad, transforms traditional street corn into an easy, festive salad. 

Meet This Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe

Grilled Mexican street corn, or elote — charred corn on the cob smothered in crema, cotija cheese, chili and lime — may be my favorite summer side of all time.

But when fresh corn on the cob isn’t available, or if you want an easy salad variation of this truly awesome snack, this grilled Mexican street corn salad fits the bill.

Mexican corn, by way of a Cuban restaurant in NYC.

I sank my teeth into Mexican street corn (or elote) for the first time not in Mexico, or anywhere close to Mexico. It was over 12 years ago at New York City’s tiny but mighty Café Habana.

Café Habana is a happy, boisterous little restaurant in NoLiTa where people squeeze shoulder to shoulder for mojitos, rice and beans, Cubano sandwiches, and above all: The Corn. It tasted amazing. It was cheesy, salty, spicy, fresh, and wholly satisfying. I needed another order. I needed a Mexican street corn recipe.

It took a while for me to get a Mexican street corn recipe together that matched what I still consider the Café Habana gold (yellow?) standard. The ingredients are simple, but combine forces to achieve an incredible but uncomplicated flavor.

You may also like: Corn and Black Bean Salad.

Can I Use Frozen Corn for Mexican Street Corn Salad?

Absolutely. Fresh corn cut from the cob has a certain extra charm and texture, but a bag of frozen corn works just fine.

How to Make Mexican Street Corn

To make traditional Mexican street corn on the cob, grill whole corn on the cob. Then slather it with the spicy mayo mixture and coat each cob in fresh cotija cheese and a squirt of lime juice.

But I have written this as a corn salad because it lends itself to year-round cooking with fresh frozen corn, and is more side-dish friendly and easy to prepare. The flavors are the same.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

• 6 cups fresh or thawed corn kernels (about 5 ears of corn, or two 16-ounce bags of frozen, defrosted corn)
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons good mayonnaise, such as Hellmann’s
• 2 teaspoons chili powder, mild or hot
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• 2 fresh limes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 1/2 cups crumbly cotija cheese, divided
• 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, torn into small pieces

Directions

1. If using fresh corn, remove the husks and use a sharp knife to slice the corn kernels from the cobs. If using frozen corn, thaw according to package directions and pat dry.
2. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with the oil until very hot. (You could also use butter if you want a richer flavor.) Add the corn and salt in a single layer. Let the corn sit and cook for several minutes until brown on one side (careful, the kernels sometimes jump!). Stir, and continue to cook several more minutes until the corn kernels have a nice brown char. Spoon the corn into a large bowl. You may want to char the corn in a couple of batches. You can also cook the corn under the broiler.
3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chili powder, fresh lime juice from one lime, garlic, and shallot to make a spreadable sauce. Add the elote sauce to the corn and stir to combine.
4. Crumble the cotija cheese all over the salad, reserving a bit for garnish. Add the tomatoes and cilantro. Stir to combine. Serve, garnishing with the reserved cotija and lime wedges from the second lime.

Recipe Notes: Mexican Corn Salad

• Make sure you get a nice char on the corn. That is part of the flavor. To achieve this in a pan — preferably cast iron — heat the pan with a little oil until it is hot. Then add the corn and let it sit without stirring for a couple of minutes until the corn browns on one side. Then stir and let brown some more.
• Feel free to use mild or spicy chili powder, depending on your preference. You could also add some chopped jalapeño pepper for an added kick.
• To substitute cotija cheese, use a mild grated parmesan as a first choice. Feta cheese would be the next-best thing.
• If you make this as corn on the cob instead of salad, eliminate the shallot, cilantro, and grape tomatoes. Those are just a flavor and texture boost for the salad version, but is not necessary and not a part of the corn-on-the-cob version.

If you like this Mexican street corn, you will also like:

• “Spanish” Green Chile Cornbread
• Mexican (Spanish) Brown Rice
• Cilantro Lime Rice, Chipotle Style
• Chicken Black Bean Enchiladas

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Elote Salad)

Author: Lisa Ruland

The great flavors of Mexican street corn in a tasty summer corn salad recipe, with cotija cheese, lime, chili powder, and cilantro.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 6 to 8 people

Calories: 411kcal

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Ingredients

• ▢ 6 cups fresh or thawed corn kernels (about 5 ears of corn, or two 16-ounce bags of frozen, defrosted corn)
• ▢ 1/3 cup olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons good mayonnaise, such as Hellmann's
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder, mild or hot
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
• ▢ 2 fresh limes
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 shallot, minced
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups cotija cheese, divided
• ▢ 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
• ▢ 1/2 cup loosely-packed fresh cilantro, leaves and tender stems, torn into small pieces

Instructions

• If using fresh corn, remove the husks and, using a sharp knife, slice the corn kernels from the cobs by placing each ear upright in a bowl. Discard cobs. If using frozen corn, thaw according to package directions and pat dry.
• Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with the oil until very hot. Add the corn and salt in a single layer. Let the corn sit and cook for several minutes until brown on one side (careful, the kernels sometimes jump!). Stir, and continue to cook several more minutes until the corn kernels have a nice brown char. Spoon the corn into a large bowl.

  TIP: You may want to char the corn in a couple of batches. You can also cook the corn under the broiler.
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, chili powder, the juice of one lime, garlic, and shallot. Add to the corn and stir to combine.
• Crumble the cotija cheese all over the salad, reserving a bit for garnish. Add the tomatoes and cilantro. Stir to combine.
• Serve, garnishing with the reserved cotija and lime wedges from the second lime.

Nutrition

Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 766mg | Potassium: 604mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1522IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 2mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition information is provided for courtesy purposes only, and is an estimate not verified by medical or nutrition experts. Read the full nutrition disclaimer.