Corn Salsa Recipe
Cinco de Mayo isn’t the only time of year I make this corn salsa! It’s too good to reserve to just a single day in May. All fresh ingredients come together to create the best flavor that’s refreshing, sweet, tangy, and seriously addictive. I dare you to try and just take one bite of this salsa!
This salsa is so popular in the summer, even my picky kids dig into it. When I throw together sweet corn with a few flavorful additions and season it well, they’re all over it! Well, I do also think that using the vehicle of a tortilla chip to eat the salsa with certainly helps as well.
Corn has a beautiful natural sweetness that’s paired so well with the tangy lime juice and spicy jalapeños and chili powder. Also, since you’re making this salsa at home, you can decide if you’d like to increase the heat or tame it. Just another reason to cook from home – you can make your salsa just how you like it!
Choose More Or Less Spicy Jalapenos
Want more spice? You can use older jalapenos, those with more light brown veins on the skin, for a much spicier experience. Those jalapenos were left to ripen for longer before picking and develop a lot more spice.
Need less spice? Younger jalapenos, those with deep green skin with no veins, are much more mild. They are picked early on and don’t get to develop a lot of spice.
Tips To Cut The Corn Off The Cob
- Wait until it’s cooled enough to touch! You will need to hold it.
- Use a rimmed baking dish to help contain all the stray kernels coming off.
- Make sure to use a sharp knife and follow the natural curve of the cob.
- Use the back side of the knife to scrape the cob after cutting off the kernels. This will get all the little knobs left behind.
Make Ahead and Storing Recommendation
Make ahead: it’s actually better when made even a couple hours ahead of time because the salsa needs to chill. It’ll taste better once all of the ingredients have had time to marinate together. It’s better make the salsa about 2 hours before you need to serve it, but you can also make it 1 day ahead. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Storing: If you have any leftover salsa, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Just make sure to give it a good stir before serving again. I don’t recommend freezing it.
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Corn Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 whole corn on the cob
- 1 medium bell pepper
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 limes – juice only
- 2 tbsp fresh minced cilantro
- 1/2-1 tsp chipotle chili powder more or less to taste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt more of less to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to boil and salt it. Add peeled and cleaned corn on the cob to boiling water, cover, and cook for 5-7 minutes. Take corn out and let it cool until you can handle it.
- Cut off small part of the bottom to make the cob stand up easier and place it inside a wide, rimmed baking dish.
- Cut the kernels off the cob with a sharp knife from top to bottom, following the natural curve of the cob. Add cut off kernels into a large mixing bowl.
- Dice onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and add it all to the corn. Press garlic cloves and add it to the bowl as well.
- Squeeze in lime juice and add seasoning. Mix it all together and let it sit for about 15 minutes before serving (if you can resist it).
Notes
- Storing: If you have any leftover salsa, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Just make sure to give it a good stir before serving again. I don’t recommend freezing it.
- Adjust spice level: There are jalapeño peppers, which are usually mild, and a sprinkle of chili powder. You can add a little more or a little less chili powder to adjust to your tastes. Feel free to sprinkle in some cayenne powder to turn up the heat!
Jalapeños aren’t very spicy chili peppers at all. However, if you have a sensitivity with spicy foods, you can either remove the seeds or make sure to get young peppers. Young peppers have smooth, firm skin. Older peppers are spicier and have visible veins on the skin. If you want more spice, you can use a spicier chili pepper like habanero or serrano peppers. - Grilled corn option: There is no better way to incorporate some smokey flavor than to grill the corn first. Check out my recipe for grilled corn if you want to make that type of salsa.
Nutrition
Serving Suggestions
With tortilla chips, of course!
You can also use it as a topping for meats like grilled steak or grilled chicken breasts. Or, get creative and toss it into a taco, burrito bowl, taco salad, or fajitas as a topping!
Corn salsa is great with tacos like grilled shrimp tacos and shredded chicken tacos.
More Salsa Recipes To Try
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in June 2020.
Categories:
Appetizer Recipes, Backyard BBQ Recipes, Cinco de Mayo Recipes, Dip Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Snack Ideas,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
This looks like it would be so good I can’t wait to try it!
This looks like it would be so good I can’t wait to try it!