Mexican Street Corn Salad

Mexican Street Corn Salad is a combination of grilled sweet corn, avocado, onion, jalapenos tossed in a homemade dressing. It's the perfect summer salad recipe bursting with flavor!

Prep Time15

Cook Time10

Chill Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Mexican Street Corn Salad

Servings:

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Julie Evink

Ingredients

6 ears fresh sweet corn husked and cleaned
¼ cup olive oil
1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed and diced
½ cup red onion finely chopped
½ avocado chopped
½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
2 ounces Cotija cheese finely crumbled, plus more for serving if desired

Dressing

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1 lime, juiced about 1 tablespoon
2 garlic cloves minced
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil grill grates by oiling paper towel and holding the paper towel with a tongs and rubbing over the grates.
Brush olive oil on corn. Place on oiled grill grates.
Cook on grill, turning occasionally until corn is tender and char marks are visible.
Remove from grill and allow to cool until you can easily handle the corn on the cob.
Cut corn kernels from cob and add to a large bowl.
Add cut jalapeno, and red onion and to bowl, stir to combine.
Cut avocado and gently stir into salad.
In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients.
Then pour dressing over salad and stir until well combined.
Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
Chill until ready to serve.
To serve, add crumbled Cotija cheese and cilantro, if desired.

Notes

Common Substitutions for Corn Salad Ingredients

Frozen corn: Yes, you can use frozen corn in place of fresh but you may need to make some changes when you cook it. I’ve shared more details about this sub later in the post.

Peppers: If you don’t like spice, you can use diced poblano pepper or even a sweet bell pepper (red bell pepper, orange, or yellow). I don’t recommend using green bell peppers because they have a bitter flavor.

Onions: Instead of red onions, use white or yellow onion. Or, you can use chopped green onions.

Mayonnaise: The best sub for this is sour cream but the flavor of the dressing will not be as rich and the flavor will be different.

Can you use frozen corn in Mexican Corn Salad?

Yes, but the cooking instructions will be different depending on what you use:

Frozen corn on the cob: You can thaw the corn first and then grill it as instructed. Or, if your corn is frozen, you can wrap the ears in foil and cook them over the grill that way.
Frozen corn kernels: If you want to use frozen corn kernels, you can saute them on the stove in a pan with olive oil over medium heat. Cook them until they are lightly golden in spots and cooked through.

How long does Mexican street corn salad keep?

It will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. This salad won’t freeze well, so I don’t recommend storing in the freezer.

Nutrition