Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites)
This Mexican street corn salad, or esquites, is filled with a tangy, creamy, salty, slightly spicy bite that’s totally addicting. Esquites is the perfect summertime side dish for any BBQ or Mexican-inspired meal.
Servings: 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 4 ears corn husked
- 1 jalapeño deseeded, diced small (optional)
- 3 Tablespoons cotija cheese crumbled, plus more for garnish
- ½ cup packed cilantro chopped, plus additional for garnish
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt 2% or full fat
- ½ Tablespoon cholula hot sauce optional
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 Tablespoons low sodium chicken or vegetable stock add until desired consistency
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the husked corn to the water and boil for 8 minutes. Remove corn and let cool at room temperature or if you’re in a rush you can run under cold water.
- Once corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cob and break the kernels apart. Place in a medium mixing bowl.
- Meanwhile, as the corn is cooking you can prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients until blended well.
- In the medium bowl with corn, add the jalapeño (if using), cotija cheese, cilantro, and the sauce. Stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Right before serving I like to heat in the microwave to serve warm (not hot). Garnish with chili powder, cotija, and cilantro for presentation! Serve as a side or with tortilla chips as an appetizer. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
per serving (based on 6 servings)
103 Calories, 3 gram fat, 6 gram protein, 17 gram total carbohydrate, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams sugar, 109 mg sodium
Notes
If you don’t like a lot of spice, don’t use the jalapeño and skip the hot sauce. I recommend adding just a little chili powder just for the flavor. If you want more spice, add more to your liking. You can also leave the jalapeño seeds in for additional heat. You can substitute mayonnaise for the Greek yogurt. I would definitely use 2% or higher fat Greek yogurt for the creaminess. Substitute 4-5 cups of frozen or canned corn for fresh. You can grill the corn or sauté in a hot pan to char the kernels for smokier flavor.
If you don’t like a lot of spice, don’t use the jalapeño and skip the hot sauce. I recommend adding just a little chili powder just for the flavor. If you want more spice, add more to your liking. You can also leave the jalapeño seeds in for additional heat. You can substitute mayonnaise for the Greek yogurt. I would definitely use 2% or higher fat Greek yogurt for the creaminess. Substitute 4-5 cups of frozen or canned corn for fresh. You can grill the corn or sauté in a hot pan to char the kernels for smokier flavor.