Mexican Street Corn Salad
My Mexican street corn salad features grilled corn and poblano peppers for a wonderful smoky flavor. It's also mixed with sweet and spicy flavors from queso fresco, fresh cilantro, chili powder, mayonnaise and sour cream.
If you’re a lover, this Mexican street corn salad is right up your alley! It essentially takes everything you know and love about Mexican street corn (also known as elote) and tosses it in one big bowl with some grilled poblano peppers. Trust me, this corn salad recipe is anything but bland!
My favorite part about this corn salad is that corn on the cob and poblano peppers are grilled, giving the whole salad a lovely smoky flavor. It’s also a great recipe to make more or less spicy to fit your personal preference since the spice is very well balanced by the creaminess of the salad.
I also love what a total breeze it is to toss this Mexican corn salad together! Really all the corn salad variations I have, like creamy corn salad and Cajun corn salad, are super easy and a perfect dish to bring to a summer BBQ or a potluck. This is a great low stress recipe for making right before the party starts, and it’s even better for making ahead of time!
Tips For Success When Grilling Corn
- Remember to prepare the grill so you have a two-zone fire, this was you have a cooler side and a hot side.
- Make sure to snip the silk whiskers sticking out of the top of the corn husk to avoid them catching on fire.
- Use metal tongs to open the husks after the corn is cooked. It will be hot and steamy! You can also use “grill gloves” (aka fire resistant gloves) if you have them.
- Grill the poblano peppers at the same time as the corn. This way you can either make both ahead of time or use it right away in a salad. Place poblano peppers on the hot side of the grill about half way though cooking corn. Let them char on both sides. Once the peppers are nicely charred, take them off the grill.
Tips To Make Mexican Corn Salad
- You can boil the corn instead of grilling. Remove the husks and all silk threads from the corn. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then lower it to medium and add the corn. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Wait until it’s cool enough to handle before cutting.
- Make sure to cool down the corn until you can handle it without burning yourself.
- To Char Peppers on Gas Stove: First thing to remember is to NOT walk away. Turn your gas stovetop flame to medium heat. Place the peppers on the grate directly over the top of the gas flame. Let it roast for about 3 minutes and use a pair of tongs to turn them a quarter on the way. Keep roasting and turning ever few minutes until charred and softened. Take them off the stove.
- Make it spicier: The poblano peppers aren’t spicy and the chipotle chili powder doesn’t lend a whole lot of spice either. If you want to heat things up, consider adding in some cayenne powder or even spicier chili peppers jalapeños, red chili pepper, habanero, or serrano.
Make Ahead Options
- This Mexican corn salad is actually better made ahead of time because the salad needs to chill and it will taste better once all ingredients have had time to mingle.
- You should make the salad about 2 hours before you need to serve it but you can also make it a day ahead. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can also grill the corn and poblano peppers a day or two before you plan on serving the salad. Once they’ve both fully cooled to room temperature, store them in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
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Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe
My Mexican street corn salad features grilled corn and poblano peppers for a wonderful smoky flavor. It's also mixed with sweet and spicy flavors from queso fresco, fresh cilantro, chili powder, mayonnaise and sour cream.
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Servings: 6 (Makes about 4 cups)
Calories: 180kcal
Ingredients
- 5-6 corn on the cob in husks
- 2 Tbsp salted butter
- 2 medium poblano peppers
- 2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
- 1 lime – zest only
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- Salt
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 cup queso fresco crumbled
Instructions
Grilled Corn:
- Prepare your charcoal until it’s ashed over. Move it to one half of the grill so that you have a cooler grill side and a hotter grill side. Make sure the grate is clean.
- Snip the silk whiskers sticking out of the top of the corn husk but leave the rest of the corn in a husk. Lay it on the grill, with the bottom of the husk towards the cooler side of the grill. Close the grill and cook for 13-15 minutes, turning it every 3-4 minutes.
- Take corn off the grill and carefully, using tongues, take off the husk and the silk. Brush corn with melted butter and place back on the grill. Close the grill and cook, turning it every 3-4 minutes, until lightly charred on all sides.
- Take corn off the grill and cut the corn kernel off the cobs. Add corn kernel to the mixing bowl.
Poblano Peppers:
- Place poblano peppers on the hot side of the grill about half way though cooking corn. Let them char on both sides. Once the peppers are nicely charred, take them off the grill. Cut the peppers, take out the seeds, and scrape off the the charred skin. Dice the peppers and add them to the mixing bowl.
Corn Salad:
- Add minced cilantro, mayo, sour cream, lime zest, salt, and chili powder to the mixing bowl with corn and peppers. Mix well.
- Mix in crumbled queso fresco.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Video
Notes
- To Boil Corn Instead: Remove the husks and all silk threads from the corn. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, then lower it to medium and add the corn. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until tender. Wait until it’s cool enough to handle before cutting.
- To Char Peppers on Gas Stove: First thing to remember is to NOT walk away. Turn your gas stovetop flame to medium heat. Place the peppers on the grate directly over the top of the gas flame. Let it roast for about 3 minutes and use a pair of tongs to turn them a quarter on the way. Keep roasting and turning ever few minutes until charred and softened. Take them off the stove.
- Make Ahead: It’s actually better made ahead of time because the salad needs to chill and it will taste better once all ingredients have had time to mingle. You should make the salad about 2 hours before you need to serve it but you can also make it a day ahead. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Make it spicier: If you’re like to heat things up, consider tossing in some cayenne powder or even some chopped jalapeños. If you DO want to make it even spicier, feel free to add a habanero pepper or something spicier to the corn salad.
Nutrition
Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 163mg | Potassium: 305mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 655IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 1mg
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Tools For This Recipe
- Bottom Grip Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls
- Plastic Cutting Board or Wooden Cutting Board
- Scrape and Spoon Tool
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven ($$$)
- Cast Iron Dutch Oven (Cost-effective option)
Enjoy More of the Best Easy Salad Recipes
Categories:
Backyard BBQ Recipes, Cinco de Mayo Recipes, Dip Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, Salad Recipes, Side Dishes,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 and sounds so good. Saving the recipe for when local corn is out – it’s not quite time here where I live. Love the ingredients!
Let me know how it goes! Thanks, Mimi.