This Mexican street corn salad recipe is a perfect dish that will leave your guests craving more. Its sweet, creamy, and slightly spicy flavors perfectly capture the essence of summer in a bowl. Grilled corn, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, onion, and red bell pepper are all combined and coated in a light yet zesty lime-spiced dressing. It may not be as popular as Margaritas at your BBQ, but it's definitely a close runner-up. 🍹😀.
Sweet Corn is a Summer Essential!
Amy and I absolutely love treating ourselves to some buttered corn on the cob. It's the perfect side dish for a summer day, and we always look forward to it. Sweet corn is hands down the best summer veggie - you can prepare it in so many ways, like grilling, boiling, or baking. In the summer, when fresh sweet corn is abundant, we love experimenting with new recipes and enjoying all the wonderful flavors it has to offer
Mexican Street Corn Salad
We decided to experiment with grilled corn and came up with a Salad inspired by Mexican Street Corn. It is effortless to make and full of flavor. To make a light and creamy side salad, we used light sour cream, red wine vinegar, and serrano peppers for a spicy kick. If you don't want it spicy, you can leave out the peppers.
For other fun ways to include sweet corn in summer picnics and BBQs, check out our Mexican street corn pasta salad.
Mexican Street Corn Salad is a dish that can liven up any meal, including dinner, lunch, and brunch. This salad is not only delicious, but it is also straightforward to make. We combine juicy sweet corn with a tangy dressing (which is low in calories), green chilies, sweet red pepper, cherry tomatoes, topped with cilantro (or parsley), and Cotija or queso fresco cheese.
This salad pairs perfectly with grilled pork chops, chicken, shrimp, portobello mushrooms, and baby back ribs. Or having the corn salad is also perfect as the main dish. It's SO GOOD!
How to make Mexican Street Corn Salad
This simple Mexican corn recipe can be made with grilled sweet corn, pan-cooked sweet corn, or frozen corn. If using frozen corn, you can pan-fry it in a tablespoon of olive oil for a few minutes or blanch it in boiling water for 4 minutes (add a tablespoon of sugar to the water for extra sweetness).
If you're boiling corn on the cob, add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the water before adding the corn. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, depending on the size of the corn.
For grilled corn, cut the cooked corn from the cob and place it in a bowl. Grilling brings out the sweet corn flavor with a little char. Enjoy!
Chop the onion, red pepper, tomatoes, cilantro, and serrano peppers (if desired).
Mix the dressing
To reduce calories, we often opt for light or fat-free sour cream instead of mayonnaise or regular sour cream. However, if you're not concerned about calories, you can use these alternatives instead of the light sour cream. Our aim is to enhance flavor while reducing calorie intake. For example, ¼ cup of lite sour cream contains 84 calories, while ¼ cup of mayonnaise has 229 calories. The decision is up to you!
To prepare the mixture, simply combine light sour cream with red wine vinegar (white wine vinegar is a suitable substitute), lime juice, salt, and pepper.
Combine the corn, green chilies, onion (we prefer red/purple onion for its vibrant color), diced red pepper, sliced cherry tomatoes, and finely chopped serrano pepper.
Add the sour cream dressing, then gently toss the salad to ensure it is evenly coated.
Enjoy the Mexican street corn salad recipe alongside your preferred grilled meats, or have it as the main course.
Enjoy!!!!!
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:
- Mexican street corn pasta - A bright summer salad that's loaded with corn, black beans, tomatoes, and onions. Tossed in a low-fat, zesty sour cream dressing.
- Cauliflower casserole - Tantalize your taste buds with tacos–without the meat! This Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole is flavorful & satisfying.
- Easy and fresh pasta salad with a twist - Love pasta salads? Our summer pasta salad recipe with cilantro sauce is a must-try! Packed with veggies and full of flavor.
- Corn and crab soup - A great low-fat, tasty alternative to corn chowder but still packs all the flavor and comfort in every bite.
- Low-fat corn soup - Spicy, easy to make, and delicious, it is great for any time of the year.
Mexican Street Corn Salad Recipe: The Perfect Summer Side Dish
A Few Things We Use
Ingredients
- 2 Ears Sweet Corn About 2 Cups
- ½ Onion
- ½ Red Pepper
- ½ Cup Cherry tomatoes
- ¼ Cup Cilantro (can use Parsley)
- 4 ounces Green Chiles 1 -4 oz can of chopped green Chiles Or 3 Peppers charred on the grill
- 2 Serrano Peppers
- ¼ Cup Lite Sour Cream
- 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 Lime
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- ¼ Cup Cojita Cheese
Instructions
- To prepare corn, you can either grill or cook it. Once done, cut the corn off the cob. If using frozen corn, cook it according to the instructions on the package.2 Ears Sweet Corn
- Chop the onion½ Onion
- Chop the red pepper½ Red Pepper
- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half.½ Cup Cherry tomatoes
- Chop the cilantro (or parsley).¼ Cup Cilantro
- Chop the serrano peppers (optional)2 Serrano Peppers
- Combine the following ingredients in a bowl: Corn, onion, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, green chiles, and serrano peppers.4 ounces Green Chiles
Dressing
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, red wine vinegar, lime juice, salt, and pepper.¼ Cup Lite Sour Cream, 2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar, 2 teaspoons Salt, 1 Lime, 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- Gently combine the corn mixture with the sour cream dressing by pouring it over the top and stirring it in.
- To add more flavor to the salad, you can sprinkle some cheese on top.¼ Cup Cojita Cheese
- Enjoy!
Please let us know what you think