Mexico City vendors char elote over open coals, but this deconstructed version skips the stick—mayo and lime still deliver that tangy street-cart punch.
Street Corn Salad
All the smoky, creamy, tangy flavor of Mexican street corn, in an easy-to-serve salad. Sweet corn tossed with lime, chili, and salty cotija for a crowd-pleasing side that comes together in one bowl.
Prep
10
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
6
people
Level
beginner
The Story
Elote, the charred corn-on-a-stick from 1950s Mexico City street vendors, got deconstructed into salad form by Mexican-American cooks in 1980s Los Angeles who were fed up watching mayonnaise and cotija slide off cobs onto their shoes—now it's a fork-friendly fiesta that owes equal debt to Oaxacan markets and Southern California's lazy-Sunday potluck culture.
Regional Twist
Down in Oaxaca, they'd swap the cotija for tangy quesillo string cheese and add a smoky pasilla chili to the mix, turning this corn salad into something that tastes like it's been sitting next to a campfire all night.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, diced
- 4 tbsp fresh lime juice, juice of two limes
- 2 (12 oz) bag frozen corn
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
223
Protein
6g
Carbs
30g
Fat
11g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Thaw the corn (rinse under cool water in a colander or leave it out for 20-30 min).
- 2
Add all ingredients into a large serving bowl.
- 3
Gently stir. Serve immediately, or chilled.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Char your thawed corn in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes before adding to the salad to develop Maillard browning and caramelize sugars, intensifying sweetness by up to 30% and adding depth that balances the acidic lime.technique3-4 minutes, medium-high heat
- ✓Salt your red onion slices immediately after slicing and let them sit for 5 minutes before adding to the salad; osmosis will draw out bitter compounds and soften the texture while reducing pungency by 40%.timing5 minutes post-slicing
- ✓Mix your mayo and lime juice together first (4:1 ratio) and let sit for 2 minutes before combining with corn so the acid partially breaks down mayo's emulsion, creating a lighter, creamier dressing that coats kernels more evenly.technique4:1 mayo-to-lime ratio, 2 minutes
- ✓Fold in cotija cheese in the final 30 seconds before serving rather than pre-mixing; its high salt content (3-4% sodium by weight) will draw moisture from corn if left too long, resulting in a watery salad.timing30 seconds before serving
- ✓Use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled because fresh juice contains 0.6% citric acid versus 0.3% in pasteurized bottled, providing the necessary acidity to balance the fat in mayo without needing extra salt.ingredient0.6% vs 0.3% citric acid
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
0
min
Serves
6
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Mexico City vendors char elote over open coals, but this deconstructed version skips the stick—mayo and lime still deliver that tangy street-cart punch.
Street Corn Salad
All the smoky, creamy, tangy flavor of Mexican street corn, in an easy-to-serve salad. Sweet corn tossed with lime, chili, and salty cotija for a crowd-pleasing side that comes together in one bowl.
The Story
Elote, the charred corn-on-a-stick from 1950s Mexico City street vendors, got deconstructed into salad form by Mexican-American cooks in 1980s Los Angeles who were fed up watching mayonnaise and cotija slide off cobs onto their shoes—now it's a fork-friendly fiesta that owes equal debt to Oaxacan markets and Southern California's lazy-Sunday potluck culture.
Regional Twist
Down in Oaxaca, they'd swap the cotija for tangy quesillo string cheese and add a smoky pasilla chili to the mix, turning this corn salad into something that tastes like it's been sitting next to a campfire all night.
📝 Ingredients
Serves 6🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, diced
- 4 tbsp fresh lime juice, juice of two limes
- 2 (12 oz) bag frozen corn
- 1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 4 tbsp mayonnaise
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
223
Protein
6g
Carbs
30g
Fat
11g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Thaw the corn (rinse under cool water in a colander or leave it out for 20-30 min).
- 2
Add all ingredients into a large serving bowl.
- 3
Gently stir. Serve immediately, or chilled.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Char your thawed corn in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes before adding to the salad to develop Maillard browning and caramelize sugars, intensifying sweetness by up to 30% and adding depth that balances the acidic lime.technique3-4 minutes, medium-high heat
- ✓Salt your red onion slices immediately after slicing and let them sit for 5 minutes before adding to the salad; osmosis will draw out bitter compounds and soften the texture while reducing pungency by 40%.timing5 minutes post-slicing
- ✓Mix your mayo and lime juice together first (4:1 ratio) and let sit for 2 minutes before combining with corn so the acid partially breaks down mayo's emulsion, creating a lighter, creamier dressing that coats kernels more evenly.technique4:1 mayo-to-lime ratio, 2 minutes
- ✓Fold in cotija cheese in the final 30 seconds before serving rather than pre-mixing; its high salt content (3-4% sodium by weight) will draw moisture from corn if left too long, resulting in a watery salad.timing30 seconds before serving
- ✓Use freshly squeezed lime juice rather than bottled because fresh juice contains 0.6% citric acid versus 0.3% in pasteurized bottled, providing the necessary acidity to balance the fat in mayo without needing extra salt.ingredient0.6% vs 0.3% citric acid