Mexican Street Corn Salad
Today is Labor Day, and some might see this as the end of summer. School will be back in full swing tomorrow, this is the last day of the Minnesota State Fair, and the temperature will begin to cool down. But summer is not over yet – so make the best of it while it lasts!
To keep me in a summer mind set, I made a Mexican street corn salad that is full of bright, summertime flavors. I’ll confess, I’ve never been to Mexico, and I’ve never had Mexican street corn; but it is something I’ve wanted to make for a long time. As my first introduction to the dish, I decided to make a salad version of it. It’s not the most authentic adaptation, but it is delicious!
To get started with this recipe, I made the dressing. When the corn is served on the cob, it is coated with a mixture very similar to the dressing for this salad. I combined mayo, cilantro, garlic, red onion, chili powder, diced jalapeno (I used home-grown salsa peppers), and lime juice.
Typically, Mexican street corn uses Cotija cheese, which is similar to Feta. I have made this with both cotija and queso fresco, and I do prefer the dish with cotija. The saltiness really works well with the rest of the ingredients. Cotija is sold either in a solid disk shape that you will need to crumble, or I can sometimes find it pre-crumbled (or in a can like the green Parmesan cheese containers).
Once the dressing was mixed up and the cheese crumbled, I got started on the corn. If you have fresh corn on the cob, you’ll need about 3-4 cups. I opted for frozen corn for ease of making the dish. The corn was sauteed in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it was slightly browned and had a roasted quality to it.
The last step was to mix it all together. I let my corn cool for 5-10 minutes in the pan, and then combined the corn and dressing. After letting it rest a minute or two, I added in the cotija, and mixed it until combined. There was a nice contrast between the warm corn, the cool cheese, and just a little heat from the dressing.
This salad is a breeze to make, and is the perfect side for any tex-mex dish you create! So whip this up while summer is still in the air, and enjoy!
- 16 oz bag frozen corn
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 4 oz cotija cheese can also use feta cheese
- 2 tbsp lime juice fresh
- 1 tbsp jalapeno finely diced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsp red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Crumble the cotija, set aside.
- For the dressing, mix together mayonnaise, lime juice, cilantro, red onion, garlic, chili powder, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Heat oil over medium heat. Add the frozen corn, and cook until the corn starts to brown (or char, depending on preference), stirring occasionally, for about 8-10 minutes.
- Let the corn cool for 5-10 minutes, and then combine the corn with the dressing.
- Add the cheese to the corn/dressing, and serve.
**Cardinal Rule** I used two salsa peppers from my mom's garden to add a nice amount of heat to the dish. Add more or less jalapeno to the dish to adjust the heat to your preference. Recipe Source: Six Sisters Stuff