Description
A vibrant and flavorful Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites) featuring charred sweet corn tossed with a zesty lime-mayo dressing, fresh herbs, and cheeses. This dish is perfect for parties, potlucks, or a tasty side dish with bold Mexican-inspired flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
Dressing
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons real mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Main Salad
- 3 cups sweet corn kernels (cut off the cobs)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup parmesan cheese (finely grated)
- 1 cup freshly chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
- 1/2 cup green onions (thinly sliced)
- 1/4 cup red onion (chopped)
- 1 jalapeño pepper (seeded and chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 cup Cotija cheese (crumbled)
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine lime juice, mayonnaise, ground cumin, smoked paprika, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk well by hand until the mayonnaise is mostly dissolved and the dressing is smooth. Set aside or chill until ready to use.
- Cook the corn: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add the sweet corn kernels and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing some kernels to get nicely charred for that smoky flavor. Then turn off the heat.
- Mix the salad ingredients: To the skillet with corn, add the parmesan cheese, chopped cilantro, red bell pepper, green onions, red onion, jalapeño, and garlic powder. Stir well to combine all ingredients evenly.
- Toss with dressing and serve: Pour the prepared dressing over the corn mixture and toss thoroughly. Sprinkle the crumbled Cotija cheese on top. Serve the salad at room temperature or chilled for best flavor.
Notes
- This salad is best served fresh but can be refrigerated for a few hours before serving.
- For extra spice, leave some seeds in the jalapeño or add a pinch of cayenne pepper to the dressing.
- Substitute Cotija cheese with feta if unavailable.
- Char the corn kernels carefully to avoid burning, stir gently to keep some kernels whole and smoky.
- Mayonnaise can be adjusted or substituted with Greek yogurt for a lighter version.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 95 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 274 mg
- Fat: 2 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 5 mg
