One of my favorite Summer things is freshly harvested vegetables. Fresh picked corn is a sure sign that good eating is at hand.
Mexican Street Corn Salad (a form of Elote) is so easy to make and is a fantastic summer salad. Roasted corn gives a great charred taste in contrast to the sweet corn taste. The simple ingredients include all the best flavors of Mexican street food with corn, Cotija cheese, Mexican crema, lime, onion, and cilantro.
Mexican Street Corn Salad—Elote or Equites
Elote is Spanish for corn on the cob and refers to a dish where the corn is still attached to the cob. Served with all the ingredients slathered on the corn cob or with the cob being skewered with a stick which serves as a handle.
Equites is Spanish for the same street corn dish, however, it is served in cups with the corn kernels removed from the cob. This makes the dish easier to serve for a crowd as well as being easier to eat.
Getting to know the Mexican Ingredients
Mexican Crema is similar to sour cream. It has a runnier consistency and is tangier in taste. Look for Mexican crema in the refrigerated cheese section of the grocery store. It is often stored near the cream cheese. Creme Fraiche gives that same tangy flavor but will need to be thinned a bit. You can also cheat by combining regular sour cream with fresh lime juice as a substitute for Mexican Crema but the dressing will be watery.
Cotija Cheese is a crumbly salty Mexican cheese made from cow’s milk. It is used as a “finishing” or garnish cheese in dishes since it doesn’t melt but punches up the flavor and color of a dish. A good substitute for fresh cotija cheese is Feta cheese. If your recipe calls for aged cotija cheese is Parmesan. Look for Cotija cheese in the same area of the grocery store as the Mexican Crema.
Fresh Sweet Corn
For tips on how to choose great fresh corn on the cob, check out this post. Plan on each corn cob to yield 3/4 cup of corn kernels which will serve 6 nice size servings of this Mexican Street Corn Salad.
Mexican Street Corn Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Mexican Street Corn Salad (a form of Elote) is so easy to make and is a fantastic fresh salad to serve at any summer party.
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn (about 3–1/2 cups)
- 1/2 red onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Dressing
- 1/3 cup Mexican Crema
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
1-2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat your grill or grill pan to high.
- Shuck the corn and lightly spray the corn on the cob with vegetable cooking spray.
- Arrange the corn on the grill or grill pan and grill for about 10-12 minutes until the corn is cooked and there are nice char marks on the kernels.
- Remove the corn from the grill and let cool until you can handle it, about 5 minutes.
- Hold the corn cob vertically on a cutting board and using a chef’s knife slice a strip or corn kernels off the cob. rotate the cob and repeat until all the kernels have been removed from the cob.
- In a medium bowl, add the corn kernels and remove any corn silk strands in the bowl. Stir in the diced red onions, minced cilantro, and stir in to combine.
- In a small bowl, combine the Mexican cream, mayonnaise, lime zest and juice, minced garlic, chili powder, cumin a.nd stir well to combine.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to adjust seasonings. Set aside.(Can be made ahead.)
- Toss the about 2/3 of dressing with the corn. Add more dressing until as saucy as desired.
- Stir in the cotija cheese and Parmesan cheese.
- Garnish with minced cilantro.
- Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
To substitute sour cream for Mexican crema, stir 1/4 cup sour cream with 1 tablespoon of water and 1 teaspoon of fresh lime juice, stir to combine. Proceed with the recipe.
Variations: Add 2 green onions, thinly sliced and 1 jalapeño, minced to the red onions and corn.
Serve warm or cool.
This salad will last 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
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