Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado
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This Mexican Street Corn Salad is the perfect summer recipe when good corn is in season! You get all the classic flavors of Mexican Street Corn but it’s served salad style along with avocado. Everyone will love this!
Mexican Street Corn Salad
What’s not love the classic vendor style, Mexican take on corn on the cob? It’s creamy, it’s cheesy, it’s perfectly spiced and that charred flavor just takes it over the top.
The only slight draw back is that it’s a little messy. That’s where this easy Mexican Street Corn Salad comes in.
And when you make it in salad form you can have the bonus of those irresistibly smooth and creamy avocados, which makes for the perfect upgrade on the popular street corn. It’s the perfect summer side dish for any barbecue.
Feel free to remix this avocado corn salad with other delicious ingredients, like fresh tomato or cherry tomatoes, shrimp right off the grill, black beans, jalapeño, different combinations of spices, or drizzled with mexican crema.
Ingredients for this Mexican Street Corn Salad
- 4 medium ears fresh corn
- 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 1/2 avocados
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 3 oz cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (optional)
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 Tbsp lime juice plus lime zest
- Salt
Scroll below for printable recipe.
How to Make this Corn Salad
First you’ll start out by cutting the corn kernels from the cobs. I don’t recommend frozen corn, but in a pinch you can use it—it just won’t have the same delicious consistency as grilled corn.
Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, season lightly with a teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring about every 2 minutes, until golden brown.
Add the corn to a salad bowl or other large bowl along with avocado, red onion, cotija, cilantro, mayonnaise, jalapeño, lime juice, garlic, and chili powder. A good job for little hands would be to whisk together the liquid ingredients and spices in a small bowl prior to assembling the salad.
Gently toss it all together then serve right away, preferably with tortilla chips for immediate dipping!
What to Serve with This
I love to serve this with tacos. Any of these are great choices and this street corn salad will even make a good topping in tacos!
- Shredded Beef Tacos,
- Carnitas (slow cooker or instant pot method included)
- Roasted Chicken Tacos
- Grilled Fish Tacos
- Grilled Chicken Tacos
- Black Bean Tacos
- Grilled Fish Tacos
Is There a Substitute for Cotija Cheese?
If you can’t find Cotija cheese (which is usually near the chilled Latin foods or specialty cheeses) then feta would be a great alternative. You can also keep this recipe vegan by skipping the cheese entirely.
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Mexican Street Corn Salad with Avocado
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn, shucked and kernels cut from cob (4 cups)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Salt
- 1/3 cup chopped red or green onion (if using red run under water and drain to remove harsh bite)
- 1/3 cup slightly packed cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced (optional)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 oz Cotija cheese, finely crumbled
- 3 Tbsp mayonnaise (light or regular)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, divided
- 1/2 tsp chili powder, then more to taste
- 1 1/2 medium avocados (semi-firm but ripe) peeled, cored and chopped small
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add corn, season with salt to taste and toss, then let cook, tossing only occasionally (about every 2 minutes) until corn is well charred all over (about 6 - 9 minutes total).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
- Add corn to a medium bowl along with, avocados, onions, cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, Cotija, mayonnaise, and lime juice and chili powder and toss.
- Serve immediately with more chili powder to taste as desired.
- Recipe source: adapted from Serious Eats