Chipotle-Lime Mexican Corn Salad with Fresh Jalapeños
Experience the bold, smoky flavor of Mexican Street Corn (Esquites) with this Chipotle-Lime Corn Salad. Featuring charred kernels tossed in a creamy dressing of chipotle in adobo, earthy cumin, and lime zest, it’s a zesty, "red-heat" side dish. Topped with salty queso fresco and fresh jalapeños, this chilled salad is the perfect smoky companion for any meal.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 297cal
Cost: $5
Equipment
- large bowl with a cover
- cutting board & knife
- culinary gloves *for cutting the jalapeno
Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh or frozen corn well drained
- ½ cup real mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chipotle adobo sauce *from the can
- 1 whole jalapeño seeds remove, diced finely
- 1 medium red bell pepper seeds removed, diced
- 2 stalks green onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped, *can omit if you dont like it
- 1 whole lime zest & juice
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt *to taste
- ½ cup queso fresco *or feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Start by making sure your corn is completely thawed and dry. Since you're not sautéing it to cook off the moisture, pat it down thoroughly with paper towels so the dressing stays creamy rather than watery.
- In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, chipotle adobo sauce, lime juice, lime zest, cumin, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
- Since you aren't caramelizing the corn, the Smoked Paprika in my ingredient list is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. If I want it even smokier, I’ll add an extra 1/4 teaspoon now to really drive that campfire flavor home.
- Fold in the corn, the finely diced jalapeño, the red bell pepper, green onions, and cilantro. Make sure everything is evenly coated in the orange chipotle dressing.
- Gently fold in the queso fresco at the very end so the crumbles stay intact. Give it a final taste and add additional salt if needed.
Notes
Nutritional values may vary and are meant to be a guide.
Chill Time: This tastes best after sitting in the fridge for 20 minutes to let the flavors meld.
Safety: Always wear gloves when dicing the jalapeño to avoid skin irritation.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 297cal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 713mg | Potassium: 366mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1194IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 1mg