This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a hit at potlucks and BBQs, and always disappears quickly. It is all the best parts of Mexican Street Corn, Elote, but with less mess – grilled corn, a creamy sauce bursting with flavor from spices and fresh herbs, and salty cheese. You and your guests will want seconds!
Welcome to the first day of Farmers Market Week! This week, I’m teamed up with some friends to bring you recipes that are inspired by farmers market (or garden, or CSA) finds. It’s one of my favorite foodie weeks of the year – I just love getting inspiration for the season’s fresh fruits and veggies (not to mention local goodies like eggs, nuts, honey and more!).
Over the past couple of years, I’ve shared some pretty amazing recipes:
- Rose Peach Sangria – dangerous, it’s so good!
- Veggie Bagel Sandwich – my knock-off version of a favorite bagel shop sandwich
- Mom’s Zucchini Bread – despite trying a number of other zucchini bread recipes, this continues to be my favorite
- Baba Ganoush – roasted eggplant hidden in a dip that can be served with more veggies, pita chips, or pieces of pita bread or naan
- Roasted Tomato Salsa – my go-to recipe for making salsa each summer, as my garden and CSA boxes overflow with plum tomatoes, onions, and peppers. I’m not sure if it can be canned, but I’ve frozen it to enjoy well beyond the season’s end
and as much as I’ve loved what I’ve made, I’ve enjoyed discovering new recipes even more. Here’s a list of today’s Farmer’s Markert Week recipes here, or search #FarmersMarketWeek on social media for this year’s and last year’s recipes.
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- Air Fryer Kale Chips by Blogghetti
- Blueberry Peach Coffee Cake by Making Miracles
- Brown Butter Peach Scones by The Spiffy Cookie
- Corn and Tomato Salad by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Fresh Peach French Toast Casserole by Our Sutton Place
- Grandma’s Banana Cake by Family Around the Table
- Grilled Double Cherry Naan Bread Dessert by The Freshman Cook
- Grilled Zucchini Pesto Pizza by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Kohlrabi and Radish Slaw by Savory Moments
- Mexican Street Corn Salad by Books n’ Cooks (below!)
- Parmesan Roasted Spaghetti Squash by Intelligent Domestications
- Peach and Strawberry Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Peach Upside Down Cake by Red Cottage Chronicles
- Shrimp Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Peas by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Skillet Lemon Parmesan Chicken with Zucchini and Squash by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Tart Apple Galette with Cinnamon Crumble by Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Watermelon Salsa by Kate’s Recipe Box
- Zucchini and Tomato Tian by Palatable Pastime
The first recipe I’m sharing with you this week is one that, since I found it two years ago, I’ve been returning to again and again, both for entertaining and for a quick side dish for weeknight grilling. It’s got such BIG flavor and is so very versatile – it can be served hot or cold, making it great for potlucks. This Mexican Street Corn Salad is all of the goodness of that Mexican street food – grilled corn, a creamy sauce bursting with flavor from spices and fresh herbs, and salty cheese – but with less mess.
What is Mexican Street Corn, you ask?
Mexican Street Corn, or Elote, is grilled corn on the cob – sometimes served on a stick – that is smothered in a creamy sauce, lots of herbs and spices, and topped with cojita cheese, a salty Mexican cheese similar in texture and saltiness to feta.
It’s delicious. But it’s also kind of messy to eat, which is why the Mexican Street Corn Salad has become popular – at least in my house.
Recipe Notes:
- We’ve enjoyed this salad cold, warm, and hot, which makes it super versatile. Sometimes I’ll have my husband grill the corn so that I can assemble the salad while he’s grilling the meats – other times I’ll prep ahead and refrigerate, especially if we’re bringing it to a potluck. You can’t go wrong.
- I use mayo/sour cream and feta in the salad, instead of the more authentic crema and cojito because they’re staples in my fridge and I’ve had trouble finding the Mexican ingredients in my local supermarkets (and due to the pandemic, have been avoiding extra trips to the grocery store). By all means, if you can find crema and cojita, use it!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
This Mexican Street Corn Salad is a hit at potlucks and BBQs, and always disappears quickly. It is all the best parts of Mexican Street Corn, Elote, but with less mess - grilled corn, a creamy sauce bursting with flavor from spices and fresh herbs, and salty cheese. You and your guests will want seconds!
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn
- 3 Tbs. sour cream (see notes)
- 5 Tbs. mayonnaise (see notes)
- 4 Tbs. fresh lime juice from two limes
- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
- 3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 c. crumbled feta cheese (see notes)
- 1/2 medium red onion small dice
- 1/3 bunch of cilantro chopped finely
Instructions
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Preheat a grill set to medium heat. While the grill is preheating, shuck corn, removing the husk and fine hairs. Wrap each piece of corn in a foil. When the grill is preheated, place corn on the grill and cook for about 20 minutes, turning once or twice to ensure even cooking.
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While corn is cooking, mix sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
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When corn is finished cooking, remove from grill. Open each packet of corn and allow to cool until cool enough to handle. Using a sharp knife, carefully remove corn kernels from cob, placing in a large bowl.
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Toss corn with prepared sauce, feta, red onion and cilantro.
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Salad may be served hot, at room temperature, or cold, straight from the fridge.
Recipe Notes
I use mayo/sour cream and feta in the salad, instead of the more authentic crema and cojito because they're staples in my fridge and I've had trouble finding the Mexican ingredients in my local supermarkets. By all means, if you can find crema and cojita, use it! You'll use 1/3 cup of crema and 1/2 c. cojita.
This recipe was adapted from Oh Sweet Basil. https://ohsweetbasil.com/elote-grilled-mexican-corn-salad-recipe/
We were watching a fair food show the other day. They were doing a bit on Mexican street corn that is coated with colored queso fresco or something like that. The hubs was like, “Mayonnaise?” Apparently, he’s never heard of Mexican street corn. Guess I’ll make this and introduce him to it.
Ha ha. I feel like nobody had heard of it until a few years ago. But he’s missing out – def make him some!