This recipe packs all the yumminess of Mexican Street Corn into an easy to make salad. Serve it up as a side dish at your next barbecue or taco night because itโs muy sabroso!
Mexican street corn, or elotรฉ, is a popular treat in Mexico and growing in popularity in the states as well. It consists of a corn on the cob with some special toppings, including mayonnaise, Cotija cheese and a chili powder spice. As a salad (esquites), this is a little easier to serve and prepare in advance, but has all the same delicious ingredients. You can also try adding the optional ingredients for a couple more flavors and textures or squeeze some lime over the top for a little extra zest!
Where can I purchase cotija cheese?
Cotija is carried in many grocery stores in the United States and can be found near the cheeses or deli section. It’s a Mexican-style cheese so it can also be found in Latin grocery stores or in the Latin section of a well-stocked supermarket.
What can I use instead of cotija cheese?
If you can’t find cotija cheese, you can substitute with parmesan cheese or feta cheese. For a vegan option, you can also use vegan feta cheese.
Substitues for Mayonnaise:
Mayonnaise is the traditional ingredient used in making Mexican Street Corn and Mexican Street Corn Salad, but we recognize not everyone likes to use mayo. Instead of using mayonnaise in this recipe you can use one of the following substitutes in this recipe:
- 1/4 cup sour cream + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup cashew cream
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
What kind of hot sauce should I use? Can I use something else?
This recipe calls for topping with a Mexican-style hot sauce. Common brands we recommend include Tapatio and Cholula. Another option is to add in finely minced jalapeno to bring up the heat level. If you don’t want your salad to be spicy, you can always leave out the hot sauce.
Can I use canned corn or frozen corn?
If youโre in a pinch, you can use canned corn, however, fresh corn is always best. If you need to use an alternative, frozen corn is a better option as it was removed from the cob and flash frozen. Be sure to thaw it and drain it thoroughly of all excess moisture if you choose to go this route. You’ll need 4 cups of corn total, which is approximately three 15-ounce cans of corn, drained well, or a little over one 16 ounce bag of frozen corn. The exact amount of corn you use is flexible.
You may also be interested in these other delicious Mexican recipes:
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and weโve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Wonderfull
how old are you?
If you had to substitute frozen corn, how much would you use?
Thanks!
You’ll want to use approximately 6 cups of frozen corn.
If you use frozen corn, after thawing and draining it, What is the best way to cook the corn?
Well Cris Iโm a year late with my answer. But I cook it on medium in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. You gotta watch it though. Itโll burn quick. In the oven I cook it on 400 in the bottom half of my broiler pan. Still gotta watch it pretty close. I love stovetop better but if Iโm cooking a lot of stuff I have to resort to the oven.
Iโve made this on the cobb, so good! Fresh corn used. There is a corn salad with spinach, tomato, bacon, avocado on Pinterest that is also delish, I cut it straight off the cobb, no cooking it & the corn is so fresh & has a crunch to it! Iโm going to try yours with it straight off the cobb! Always fun to experiment! Thanks for a less messy way to eat this!
This is really good. I cut the kernels off the cobs and then cooked over high heat in non stick pan, until corn looked ‘roasted’, with some good color. then proceeded with recipe using feta (couldn’t find cojita). Subbed sour cream for the cream. Everyone wanted seconds, will definitely keep this recipe.
I’ve been making this for years.
We moved to a very diverse neighborhood many years ago with mostly Hispanic, Puerto Rican, cultures. I fell in love with the cuisine, the people, and made many new friends who have taught me little tricks of the trade.
Just saying, Mexican Food is one of my favorites. We use a fruity type of chili powder and lime and butter in this dish. YUMMY!
What type of chili powder do you use? You say fruity.. ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ข
I told my friend how to make it, she said it’s delicious, but she wouldn’t let her family eat any of it lol, she said its to good, she would make it afternoon for like a snack, she couldn’t get enough if it..lol..I told her to use canned corn didn’t want to confuse her first time
Do you replace any ingredients if you add lime and butter or is this extra and how much? Sounds great!!
I made this recipe for a luncheon yesterday and it was a BIG HIT! Six people wanted the recipe! There were NO LEFTOVERS!
Thank you!
I would add a little Hatch chilli when I transfer to the dish. Yumm Gonna try it this coming week end!!
I make a very similar salad that is one of my family’s favorites during the summer months. I recommend substituting feta for fresh cotija and parmesan or romano for aged cotija.
Feta isnโt Mexican, nor is Parmesan. This salad has a Mexican flair on purpose with the seasonings.
How many bags of corn do i need
About 4 1/2 cups
Is this served cold ?
Iโm hoping it can be made ahead of time???
Thank you
Yes, this can be made ahead of time and is served either room temp or cold.