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    Home » Side Dishes » Elote Salad

    Jun 16, 2015 · Modified: Oct 16, 2020 by Sues · This post may contain affiliate links, uses cookies, and generates income via ads · View privacy policy + disclosure statement linked in footer · 21 Comments

    Elote Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This slightly spicy Elote Salad takes Mexican Street Corn and puts it in a bowl! The perfect side to any summer meal.

    Head-on view of elote salad on a blue striped towel with lim garnish and bottle and glass of champagne in the background with "Elote Salad" text at top

    Thank you to Gloria Ferrer for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own!

    Let’s just talk for a minute about what this week is. Yes, it’s a typical 5-day work week… Don’t remind me. But it’s going to end in a pretty spectacular way. Yes, that means more than just the regular Cocktail Friday. This week is going to end with the start of summer! As in REAL SUMMER. Not that unofficial after Memorial Day stuff.

    I’m pretty seriously excited about summer for about a billion reasons. I’m psyched over the fact that our lawn is green! And the trees have grown in enough that I can’t see my neighbors' houses through the bare branches anymore. We went through a lot with our lawn last year and basically spent a lot of frustration and money to get it looking good. After that horrendous Boston winter, I was a little nervous to see what it would look like come spring. Phew!

    View of our backyard with green grass and lots of treest

    I’m also excited over the fact that our herbs and plants are growing… We even have a couple strawberries!

    Herb planters sitting in a row on our deck

    Also? That our new deck furniture has finally arrived! Which means this is basically going to be the best summer ever (and bonus points for the fact that our umbrella was just delivered yesterday).

    New deck furniture featuring a round table and chairs

    Since we were busy moving into our house last summer, I feel like we didn’t get to enjoy the season to the fullest extent. But this summer is going to be different. Now that we’re pretty much all settled in and actually have a lawn and a place to sit outside, it’s on! I’m planning to have lots of relaxing time at my house with friends and family this summer.

    Oh, and lots of bubbly, too. In case I hadn’t made that clear just yet.

    Glass of champagne on placemat on table with elote salad in the background

    I’m excited to partner up with Gloria Ferrer for this post to talk about how this summer is going to be glorious. I also made a super seasonally appropriate salad to kick things off.

    Do you know what elote is? If not, you probably know it as Mexican grilled corn. Well, I love elote. But I’m just not a big corn on the cob person. I know it sounds super high-maintenance, but I just hate eating it. And I hate getting it stuck in my teeth. I’d so much rather have fresh corn OFF the cob. Since I rarely ever order it when out, I’ve craving it something fierce lately… So, I decided to make my own elote salad at home to kick off summer!

    Fresh corn isn’t totally at its peak yet, but it’s getting there.

    Collage showing corn on the cob, corn kernels in bowl, and corn kernels in grill pan

    This salad consists of grilling the corn, which you can either do on an outdoor grill before taking it off the cob or in an stovetop grill pan after taking it off the cob. It also involves a little kick from jalapeño, along with a creamy, spicy mayo. The lime juice, cilantro, and cotija cheese cool things down a bit.

    Collage showing jalapeño peppers chopped on cutting board, elote sauce being stirred in bowl, and grilled corn and jalapeños in bowl

    Obviously this salad is a side dish, but I could totally eat a big bowl of this for lunch, no problem.

    Bird's eye view of elote salad with lime wedge garnish on blue zigzag towel

    But this time I made it for a little kick off to summer dinner.

    Elote salad in bowl on table with bowl of chips and bottle of champagne in the background

    We kept it simple with Chris firing up the grill for some sausages.

    Sausage in bun with bite taken out on plate with side of elote salad and watermelon and champagne bottle in background

    And a healthy serving of the elote salad.

    Landscape view of elote salad in yellow bowl topped with cotija cheese and lime wedges

    Chris poured us glasses of Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs.

    Gloria Ferrer champagne being poured from bottle

    I’m a big fan of this bubbly, touched with bright strawberry and black cherry aromas absolutely perfect for summer. Gloria Ferrer has a special place in my heart as it was one of the first vineyards we stopped at on our Napa and Sonoma trip in 2014. Sitting on the terrace with a flight of sparkling wine and the stunning views was the perfect way to kick off our trip. Seriously, is it time to go back yet??

    Landscape photo of Gloria Ferrer champagne being poured from bottle into glass with elote salad in background

    But i have to admit that sitting here in this glorious weather makes me so, so happy. It was a long winter, you guys; I’m planning to appreciate every single second of this summer.

    Sues sitting outside holding a glass of champagne

    And I feel so incredibly lucky that I have this wonderful man to enjoy it with. Though he probably thinks I’m crazy most of the time due to how often I exclaim to him, “I love our house!” But I mean, he looks pretty happy, too. Cheers!

    Chris sitting outside holding a glass of champagne

    This is definitely the start of a (hopefully) long (definitely) beautiful summer.

    Sausage in bun on white plate on lobster placemat with lots of food dishes and bottle of champagne in background

    And it won’t be the last time this salad makes an appearance. Fresh corn season has just begun!

    Close-up of elote salad in yellow bowl with cotija cheese and lime wedge garnish

    I think I loved this so much because it’s the perfect combination of sweet and spicy. I pretty much always love spicy, but when you add lots of spice to a super sweet corn, it’s heaven. 

    Landscape view of elote salad in yellow bowl on blue zigzag towel with lime half, teaspoon full of chili powder, and champagne bottle in background

    Plus, I don’t eat cotija cheese enough. It has the power to cool down any spicy dish just the perfect amount… Which I suppose is exactly why it’s so popular in Mexican and Southwestern cooking. That freshly squeezed lime juice helps, too!

    Close-up of elote salad in yellow bowl on blue zigzag placemat topped with cotija cheese and lime wedges

    But if all else fails, a good sparkling wine will cool down any hot food… And any hot summer day!

    Head-on view of elote salad on a blue striped towel with lim garnish and bottle and glass of champagne in the background

    Get your bubbly on!

    Are you a fan of elote?

    If you're looking for more fabulous corn recipes, check out my Chipotle Corn Fettuccine or my Chilled Mexican Corn Bisque with Shrimp.

    Elote Salad

    This slightly spicy Elote Salad takes Mexican Street Corn and puts it in a bowl! The perfect side to any summer meal.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side
    Cuisine: Eclectic, Mexican
    Keyword: Corn, salad, Summer
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Makes: 4 servings
    Author: Sues

    Ingredients

    • 6 ears corn, shucked
    • ½ jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
    • 1 ½ tsp finely chopped cilantro, plus more for topping
    • ¼ cup cotija or queso blanco, plus more for topping
    • 3 Tbsp light mayonnaise
    • 1 tsp chili powder
    • ¼ tsp cayenne
    • 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

    Instructions

    • Cut corn kernels from cobs and place and place in a non-stick grill pan or frying pan.
    • Cook for about 8-10 minutes, until just starting to char. Remove to large bowl. Mix in chopped jalapeño, cilantro, and cotija cheese.
    • In a separate small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, chili powder, cayenne, and freshly squeezed lime juice.
    • Pour mayonnaise mixture over corn and stir well to combine.
    • Top salad with additional cheese and cilantro.
    Share a Photo of Your Finished Recipe!Mention @wearenotmartha and share a photo if you've made the recipe!

    I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anthony | MyInflatablePoly.com says

      June 17, 2015 at 12:16 am

      5 stars
      I am obsessing over this salad!

    2. Tandy | Lavender and Lime says

      June 17, 2015 at 2:28 am

      Love your new deck furniture, and the bubbles sound divine! And this salad, so going onto my list of things to make 🙂

    3. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor says

      June 17, 2015 at 8:45 am

      What a great post! I am curious to hear how your strawberries do. This elote salad looks amazing!

    4. Lauren at Keep It Sweet says

      June 17, 2015 at 9:35 am

      We went to Gloria Ferrer on our first trip to Napa... such gorgeous views there. Coincidentally that was the first time I tried that Mexican style corn on the cob. I love the idea of having it in salad version and will definitely make it this summer!

    5. Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says

      June 17, 2015 at 9:36 am

      Love your new deck furniture! It's perfect for summer lounging and enjoying light and delicious food like this elote salad. It looks amazing!

    6. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice says

      June 17, 2015 at 9:45 am

      Your furniture looks great! It's so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the weather. This salad looks delicious, too! Love the pretty color!

    7. Jersey Girl Cooks says

      June 17, 2015 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      I love this salad! so much easier to eat than corn on the cob. Beautiful yard and furniture. Enjoy the summer!

    8. Mir says

      June 17, 2015 at 10:54 am

      This salad looks great. Especially with the bubbly. All salads should be eaten with bubbly on a gorgeous deck with new furniture! Looks great!!

    9. Katalina @ Peas and Peonies says

      June 17, 2015 at 11:02 am

      I am excited for corn season as well, and this salad looks perfect, you are totally right, I can have it as an entrée too, it just looks too good. By the way, I love hot dogs with champagne 🙂

    10. Sam @ SugarSpunRun says

      June 17, 2015 at 11:36 am

      You have such a nice backyard! I love the look of this salad, and the sparkling wine served with it is just a perfect addition 🙂

    11. Rachel says

      June 17, 2015 at 2:55 pm

      you two are so adorable.
      this salad looks AMAZING! nothing like summer corn!

    12. Odetta says

      June 17, 2015 at 5:31 pm

      Sparkling wine and fresh corn is really all you need. Love the deck and outside space too!

    13. [email protected] says

      June 18, 2015 at 10:37 am

      5 stars
      Mmmm - sparkling wine and corn salad...two of my favorites sharing one table! One pretty table....I love it!

    14. Serena says

      June 18, 2015 at 11:22 am

      Oh I'm so glad spring/summer finally came to Boston. You poor people. You should get an extra month of warm after your winter. Cheers to bubbly and this new salad I've never heard of...but must make!

    15. sarah k @ the pajama chef says

      June 18, 2015 at 11:29 am

      yum! i'd never heard of elote but definitely love mexican grilled corn. fun 🙂

    16. Pam says

      June 18, 2015 at 12:27 pm

      Mmm... the elote salad looks and sounds amazing.

      Your yard & trees look fantastic.

    17. Beth says

      June 18, 2015 at 5:10 pm

      I think any of us who live in a place with cold winters really cherish our summers. I'd never heard of elote before, but I think your salad looks great!

    18. Annie @ The Garlic Diaries says

      June 18, 2015 at 5:14 pm

      5 stars
      This salad looks so amazing! I love stuff like this. And now you are making me want to sit out on the porch and grill out. And you also made me want a hot dog!

    19. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says

      June 18, 2015 at 10:08 pm

      YES to Elote salad! I grew up in Chicago where we had many Mexican Street Corn vendors, Mexican street corn salad is the best!

    20. Lexi @ Sempre Dolce says

      June 19, 2015 at 11:48 am

      This salad looks super delicious!

    21. Kathy Martin says

      August 25, 2018 at 12:23 pm

      made this. absolutely delicious. used microgreen cilantro leaves from farmer's market.

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