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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.
What Readers are Saying!
“YUM – made this with all the extra corn I had cut off the cob yesterday (since I cooked it & cut it off the cob, but didn’t really have a plan). Had everything else I needed in the house – so whipped this up to go with our fajitas – AWESOME, thanks for this” – Rachel
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!
Helpful Tip!
- If you would like to adjust how spicy this Esquites dish is you can make it spicier by using chipotle or cayenne powder or keep it mild with chili powder.
- You can also skip the mayo for more sour cream if you’re a mayo hater! We like the mix of both, but one or the other works fine too.
- Finely dice a jalapeno and add it to the skillet with the corn for more of a kick!
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.
FAQs:
Elotes is a Mexican street corn recipe using corn on the cob. Esquites is Mexican street corn off the cob. It’s more of a street corn salad!
It comes from the Nahuatl word ízquitl, which means toasted corn.
Nope, but it does taste the best! I’ve used frozen corn before without any problems, and canned corn would also work.
MORE MEXICAN INSPIRED RECIPES!
- Rotel Dip
- Mexican Cornbread Casserole
- Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad
- Mexican Shredded Beef (Low Carb)
- Mexican Potato Salad without Mayo
Esquites
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
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.
Elizabeth@ Food Ramblings says
My husband hates corn…but I am trying to convert him!
Megan @ whatmegansmaking says
I love plain old boring corn, so I’m pretty sure I would be all over this version!
shelly (cookies and cups) says
Love this side dish! My family doesn’t even like Mexican Rice, but I make every time with Mexican food because I have no idea what else to make 🙂
Julia {The Roasted Root} says
Mexican food is my (and my boyfriend’s) favorite! We agree we could eat it every single day and not get bored of it. I’ve never heard of esquites and I’m totally intrigued! I’m corn-obsessed…love how sweet it is and the poppy texture is wonderful. I’m all about trying this recipe and loading up a tortilla with it…or eating it straight out of the bowl!
DessertForTwo says
It is hard to find side dishes with Mexican food, huh? What a great one!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes says
LOVE mexican food…and I’m the same way – sometimes i run out of ideas for side dishes
Becca from It's Yummilicious says
I’m convinced that you can convert your family into Mexican food lovers if you offer them sombreros to wear when they eat this amazing corn dish… just sayin’
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
I don’t know what cotjia cheese is, but I’m determined to find out! I’m a HUGE Mexican food AND corn lover 🙂
Karly says
@Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar,
It’s a really salty, crumbly cheese. I’ve heard feta works well as a replacement, but I’ve never actually had feta, so I don’t know. 🙂 Cotija can be hard to find, but it’s good!
Jenny Ramsey says
@Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar,
i couldn’t find cotija at my grocery store but i read that you can sub. feta or parmesan.
Riley says
I’m right there with you. I grew up on Mexican food and this looks delicious!
Joanne says
I tend not to eat corn straight off the cob because of all the teeth stuckage…perfect solution right here!
Natalie says
Making. Tonight. I have a boatload of leftover corn on the cob from this weekend (and BBQ chicken). Also, I totally support your Mexican food campaign.
Stephanie says
This looks so dang scrumptious. I want to eat a big bowl of this while watching Nacho Libre.
Averie @ Averie Cooks says
mayo, sour cream, chipotle – that’s all I need for a winning sauce! looks great, Carly and way to impress the family, no doubt!
Hayley @ The Domestic Rebel says
I live and die for Mexican food. Namely, your chicken tamale casserole, which has all my favorite things rolled up into one. I cannot. stop. with. that. casserole. I hope you created a Casserole Anon group. Anywho, I also struggle in what to serve alongside enchiladas and tacos. I usually serve rice, but by now we’re so burnt out at rice that we’ve practically banned it from the pantry. This looks SUPER yummy and easy to make.
JulieD says
Wow, this looks amazing!! I’m definitely trying it soon!!