Dig into this Street Corn Salsa (also known as "esquites")! It's the perfect dip or salad for game days and tailgates, potlucks, and summer barbecues. Serve it with a side of tortilla chips or on top of grilled chicken in just about 30 minutes. It's that easy!
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Why You'll Love This Street Corn Salsa
- So easy! Use just simple ingredients to transform plain corn into a flavor-packed scoop-able dip. It's as easy as grilling the corn and mixing all the ingredients in a bowl. You can even eat it plain as a salad as well!
- 30 minute recipe! This flavorful street corn salsa can be made in about 30 minutes from start to finish. Just serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or pita bread for the best snacking combination.
- Healthy! Made with fresh corn and other basic ingredients, it's a healthy dip that's sure to please a crowd! Try this greek yogurt ranch dressing or pine nut hummus for more healthier dip recipes.
- Elevates your meals! Serve street corn salsa on top of grilled chicken, steak, shrimp, or salad for an extra punch of flavor in your meal.
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Fresh Corn: I love using fresh corn on the cob to obtain the freshest flavor and char from the grill. Simply cut it off the cob and add it to the rest of the ingredients.
- Jalapeño: Adds a subtle spiciness without making the dish too spicy. You can omit it or use less if you're afraid it might be too spicy for you.
- Lime Juice: Lime juice helps to bring all the flavors of the salsa together. It's acidity balances with the sweetness of the corn.
- Mayonnaise: Mayonnaise or Mexican crema are traditionally added on top of Mexican Street Corn to hold the rest of the ingredients on top. In this recipe, it's just added to make a creamy sauce for the salsa.
- Cotija Cheese: Cotija is an aged cheese from cow's milk. It's soft and crumbly, similar to feta cheese. You can find it near the refrigerated Mexican foods or cheese aisle in your grocery store.
- Mexican Crema: Mexican crema is a creamy, slightly tangy condiment that's similar to sour cream. It's not as thick as sour cream and has a milder flavor, perfect for drizzling over top.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient.
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F. Brush olive oil over the corn cobs.
- Step 2: Make the sauce for the street corn salsa by adding jalapeño, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, olive oil, zest and juice of lime, smoked paprika, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Step 3: Add corn to the grill. Cook, untouched with the grill closed, for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, another 5 to 7 minutes.
- Step 4: Allow corn to cool for a few minutes, then carefully cut it off the cob. Add corn to the bowl with the mayonnaise sauce.
- Step 5: Add chopped cilantro and cotija cheese to the corn mixture. Gently toss to combine.
- Step 6: Garnish with additional cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of Mexican crema.
⭐️ Tip: Let the corn sit on the grill without touching it, until you're ready to flip! This will allow it plenty of time to become lightly charred, adding extra flavor to the kernels.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Fresh Corn - You can use fresh or defrosted frozen corn without grilling them. They won't have the same charred flavor, but they will still work in a pinch!
- Cotija Cheese - Queso fresco or feta can work as substitutes for cotija cheese, if needed.
- Mexican Crema - If you can't find Mexican crema at your store, omit the it or use a little sour cream instead.
How to Store Street Corn Salsa
To store: Store street corn salsa in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
To freeze: Freezing is not recommended.
Top tip!
Let the corn salsa sit for about 10 minutes after you stir it all together. This will help the flavors blend before you serve and eat.
Recipe FAQs
Street corn, also called elote, consists of corn on the cob covered in mayonnaise, sour cream, cotija cheese, chili powder, and lime juice, whereas "regular corn" is simply just plain corn on the cob.
When elote is cut off the cob, it is called "esquites," which is similar to this street corn salsa.
Yes! If needed, you can drain canned corn or fire roasted corn and use that in the salsa instead. Just skip the grilling and go right to assembling the salsa.
I recommend serving this street corn salsa (esquites) cold or at room temperature. Eat it with tortilla chips as a dip or in a bowl on its own as a salad!
Related Recipes
Looking for more salsa or dip recipes? Try these:
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Street Corn Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 corn cobs, husk and silk removed
- 1 jalapeño, diced small
- 1 green onion, green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing corn
- Zest and juice of 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- mexican crema
- tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to 425 degrees F. Brush olive oil over the corn cobs.
- Make the sauce for the street corn salsa by adding jalapeño, green onions, garlic, mayonnaise, olive oil, zest and juice of lime, smoked paprika, and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add corn to the grill. Cook, untouched with the grill closed, for 5 to 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side, another 5 to 7 minutes.
- Allow corn to cool for a few minutes, then carefully cut it off the cob. Add corn to the bowl with the mayonnaise sauce.
- Add chopped cilantro and cotija cheese to the corn mixture. Gently toss to combine.
- Garnish with additional cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of Mexican crema.
Notes
- Let the corn salsa sit for about 10 minutes after you stir it all together. This will help the flavors blend before you serve and eat.
- For a quicker recipe, you can use drained plain canned corn or fire roasted corn and skip the grilling. Just add corn directly to the sauce and stir to coat.
Nutrition
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