Esquites

If you love Mexican street corn on the cob, try this Esquites recipe! It’s a Mexican corn salad with all the usual street corn ingredients tossed in some mayo and sour cream!

This should come as no surprise to you at all, but we had Mexican for dinner the other night.

I know. I know. That’s nothing new. It’s definitely our go to for dinner!

My husband is obsessed with street corn (we often make him air fryer Mexican street corn), but I’m not a huge fan of corn on the cob. It gets all stuck in your teeth and you squirt your dinner companions with corn juice. Not the best.

So, we cut the corn off the cob and made esquites instead!

Served with our taco casserole or a crunchwrap, you’ve got a pretty perfect dinner!

This also makes a great side next to our easy refried beans.

Ingredient Notes:

Corn on the Cob – We prefer to start with fresh sweet corn on the cob. You can also use frozen corn (off the cob) in this recipe, but fresh is always best!

Cheese – You’ll need some good Mexican cheese for Esquites, and cotija will work perfectly. If you don’t have cotija, some feta or even Parmesan will work fine.

Lime – Some fresh squeezed lime juice will add citrus flavor and help brighten up the dish.

Chili Powder – Chili powder or chipotle chili powder will spice this up! Chipotle has a bigger kick than chili powder.

Mayo & Sour Cream – These are going to help hold everything together in this street corn salad recipe and make everything nice and creamy.

Cilantro – We’ll finish things off with my favorite herb, cilantro. If you’re not a fan, you can sub in parsley.

How to Make Esquites:

Prepare the Corn: Slice the kernels off 5 ears of fresh, sweet corn and set aside for a few minutes while you heat up a skillet with some butter.

When the butter has melted you can add in the corn and stir it once before letting it sit undisturbed for about five minutes or until it starts browning on the bottom.

You’ll want to go for that slightly charred look that you get with Mexican street corn. Let the corn sit until it begins popping a bit and is charred.

Mix the Corn Salad: When you’ve finished preparing the toasted corn go ahead and add it to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, cheese, chili powder and all remaining ingredients.

Give it a good toss to make sure everything is well coated in the mayo, sour cream, and seasoning mixture. That’s all there is to it! This esquites recipe is super easy!

What is the easiest way to cut corn off the cob?

There are two ways to go about removing corn from the cob. The first is with a sharp knife and a large, wide mouth bowl. Place the corn cob in the bowl and slice down with a short, sharp knife from top to bottom. The corn will fall directly into the bowl.

The second option is even easier – use a corn peeler!

Corn Peeler

This corn peeler makes cutting corn off the cob a breeze! Just grab your corn and slide the tool right down the side.

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FAQs:

MORE MEXICAN INSPIRED RECIPES!

• Rotel Dip
• Mexican Cornbread Casserole
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
• Mexican Shredded Beef (Low Carb)
• Mexican Potato Salad without Mayo

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Recipe

Esquites

This Mexican street corn salad is simple to prepare and loaded with fresh flavors. We serve this alongside tacos and burritos for a tasty Mexican dinner.

4.67 from 3 votes

Print Pin

Prep10 minutes minutes

Cook5 minutes minutes

Total15 minutes minutes

Serves 6 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 5 ears corn on the cob
• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 clove garlic finely minced
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons mayo
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons sour cream
• ▢ 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
• ▢ 1/2 lime juice of
• ▢ 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder more or less to taste
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder more or less to taste, optional
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

• Slice the corn from the cob and set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the butter.
• Once the butter is melted, add the corn to the skillet and stir once.
• Let corn sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until corn starts browning on bottom. Stir again and let corn sit until it begins popping a bit and is charred.
• Place corn in a medium bowl and add 1 tablespoon of mayo, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, and the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat.
• Taste and add additional mayonnaise, sour cream, and seasonings as needed.
• Serve warm.

Tips & Notes:

You can use all mayonnaise or all sour cream if that’s your preference. Just adjust the amounts accordingly. 

Chipotle chili powder is spicier than traditional chili powder and we like the kick it adds. It can be tricky to find, so feel free to sub in ground cayenne. Add the spices to taste – it’s easy to add more to individual servings and leave it fairly mild for those that don’t like spice. 

Cotija cheese is a dry, crumbly cow’s milk cheese that’s fairly salty. If you can’t find it, Parmesan or feta both will work well.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 171kcal (9%)| Carbohydrates: 14g (5%)| Protein: 3g (6%)| Fat: 12g (18%)| Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)| Cholesterol: 27mg (9%)| Sodium: 179mg (8%)| Potassium: 215mg (6%)| Fiber: 1g (4%)| Sugar: 5g (6%)| Vitamin A: 710IU (14%)| Vitamin C: 5.4mg (7%)| Calcium: 37mg (4%)| Iron: 0.5mg (3%)

Author: Karly Campbell

Course:Side Dish

Cuisine:Mexican

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