Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

5 from 4 votes

Street Corn Salad (Esquites)

This Street Corn Salad has all the tangy, creamy, spicy flavors of eloté but in an easy-to-eat snackable form. It's the perfect summer side!

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Total Cost: ($3.51 recipe / $0.58 serving)

Servings: servings, ¾ cup per person

Calories: 140kcal

Author: Jess Rice

Equipment

Cast Iron Skillet

Ingredients

Dressing Ingredients

3 Tbsp mayonnaise $0.24
2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt $0.12
1 lime $0.25
¼ tsp smoked paprika $0.04
⅛ tsp cayenne pepper $0.02
¼ tsp chili powder $0.02
¼ tsp sea salt $0.01

Salad Ingredients

5 ears of corn, husked* $1.65
¼ cup fresh cilantro $0.22
3 Tbsp cotija cheese** $0.62

Optional but Recommended

2 Tbsp pickled red onion $0.24
1 Tbsp pickled jalapeño $0.08

Instructions

Shave kernels from corn cobs into a mixing bowl with a sharp knife.
Mince cilantro and (if using) dice jalapeños and onions into small pieces.
Gather dressing ingredients: mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and sea salt. Zest and juice lime.
Whisk all dressing ingredients together until smooth.
In a very hot skillet, add corn kernels and stir them every 30 seconds or so just until there’s a good mix of toasty corn kernels present. You do not need to cook them for long or add any oil, you just want some color on the kernels. Remove from skillet and pour into large serving bowl.
Toss toasted corn, cotija cheese, cilantro and dressing together until well combined. (Add diced pickled onions and jalapeños if you chose to include them!) This salad can be enjoyed warm or chilled with an extra sprinkle of chili powder on top if you like it spicy! Enjoy.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Frozen corn can be used instead, about 4 cups.
**Grated Parmesan, queso fresco, feta, or goat cheese would make great substitutions, if needed.

The nutritional information does not include the optional pickled red onions and pickled jalapeños.

Nutrition

Street Corn Salad (Esquites) https://metabolic-life.news/street-corn-salad/%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-96544":{"type":"food","name":"Street Corn Salad (Esquites)","slug":"wprm-street-corn-salad-esquites","image_url":"https:\/\/www.budgetbytes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Street-Corn-Salad-Overhead.jpg","rating":{"count":4,"total":20,"average":5,"type":{"comment":4,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"3","unit":"Tbsp","name":"mayonnaise","notes":"$0.24","unit_id":11943,"id":1094,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tbsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tbsp","unitParsed":"Tbsp"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"2","unit":"Tbsp","name":"plain Greek yogurt","notes":"$0.12","unit_id":11943,"id":2464,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"Tbsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"Tbsp","unitParsed":"Tbsp"}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"lime","notes":"$0.25","id":1354,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","name":"smoked paprika","notes":"$0.04","unit_id":11942,"id":1263,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"\u215b","unit":"tsp","name":"cayenne pepper","notes":"$0.02","unit_id":11942,"id":1210,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u215b","unit":"tsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u215b","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":7,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","name":"chili powder","notes":"$0.02","unit_id":11942,"id":1499,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","name":"sea salt","notes":"$0.01","unit_id":11942,"id":14367,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":10,"amount":"5","unit":"","name":"ears of corn, husked*","notes":"$1.65","id":14658,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"5","unit":"","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"5","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":11,"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","name":"fresh cilantro","notes":"$0.22","unit_id":11945,"id":1497,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"\u00bc","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":12,"amount":"3","unit":"Tbsp","name":"cotija cheese**","notes":"$0.62","unit_id":11943,"id":14663,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tbsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tbsp","unitParsed":"Tbsp"}}},{"uid":14,"amount":"2","unit":"Tbsp","name":"pickled red onion","notes":"$0.24","unit_id":11943,"id":14666,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"Tbsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"Tbsp","unitParsed":"Tbsp"}}},{"uid":15,"amount":"1","unit":"Tbsp","name":"pickled jalape\u00f1o","notes":"$0.08","unit_id":11943,"id":14667,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"Tbsp","timestamp":1774500099000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"Tbsp","unitParsed":"Tbsp"}}}],"originalServings":"6","originalServingsParsed":6,"currentServings":"6","currentServingsParsed":6,"currentServingsFormatted":"6","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"type":"recipe","recipeId":96544,"name":"Street Corn Salad (Esquites)","image":"https:\/\/www.budgetbytes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Street-Corn-Salad-Overhead-500x500.jpg","servings":6,"servingsUnit":"servings, \u00be cup per person","parent_id":"96537","parent_url":"https:\/\/www.budgetbytes.com\/street-corn-salad\/","cachedAt":1774500099,"modifiedAt":1754313228}}}