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Latest / 30-Minute / All recipes / No. 32 in the edition of October 22, 2026
Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)
32EDITION OF OCT 22
Photo: Wikimedia Commons · credit
30-Minute

Esquites (Mexican Street Corn Salad)

Charred corn tossed with mayo, lime, chile and cotija cheese. All the flavor of elote, eaten with a spoon.

Prep10 min
Cook10 min
Total20 min
Serves6

Ingredients

  • 4 cups corn kernels (from 5 ears, or frozen and thawed)
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp sour cream or Mexican crema
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
  • 1 jalapeño, minced
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder or Tajín
  • salt to taste

Steps

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the corn in a single layer and cook without stirring 3 minutes, until charred in spots. Stir and cook 3 to 4 minutes more.
  2. In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and lime juice.
  3. Toss in the warm corn, cotija, jalapeño and cilantro.
  4. Season with salt and sprinkle with chili powder. Serve warm or at room temperature.

TipFeta works if you can't find cotija.