Mexican Street Corn Salsa

Well, it’s about that time of year. Time to shake up the margarita’s and dig into the guacamole! Cinco de Mayo is just a few weeks away, and that means getting ready to fiesta with all my favorite flavors. Here I’m sharing an old favorite of mine, my recipe for Mexican Street Corn Salsa. Inspired, of course, by everyone’s favorite “loaded” cobs of corn that are smothered with thick mayo sauce and seasonings.

We all know that corn on the cob can get messy, but this dip is the perfect compromise. Char up those kernels in a hot pan, then shave them off the cob and mix ’em all up with a sauce of mayo, sour cream, fresh lime juice, cilantro, jalapeño and other seasonings. It’s so good, you better invite friends over to share, otherwise, you’ll easily eat the whole thing at one sitting. I mean, speaking for a friend.

I’ll be honest, I originally wrote this recipe back in the middle of corn season, which is why I call for cobs of corn. If you’re making this in May or other non-corn-season months of the year, feel free to substitute frozen corn kernels instead. You can still char them up in a pan before tossing them into the sauce. Nomnomnom.

Mexican Street Corn Salsa

• Author: Emily Wilson
• Prep Time: 0 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 cups 1x
• Category: Snack
• Cuisine: Mexican

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

---

Description

Charred corn kernels, crumbly cheese, creamy mayo and sour cream with jalapeno and lime makes a side dish or snack bowl everyone will love.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 corn cobs (about 3 cups of kernels)
• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/16 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced small
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2/3 cup queso
• kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

---

Instructions

1. Sear the corn in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat, or on an outdoor grill.  Simply rotate the cobs as the kernels begin to char and continue rotating until the corn feels adequately blackened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool until easy to handle.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, freshly squeezed lime juice, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin and cayenne pepper.  Fold in the diced jalapeno, chopped cilantro and crumbled queso.
3. Stand corn cobs upright on a cutting board (you can also stand the cobs upright in the bottom of a large, wide bowl to help catch the kernels) and shave your knife down the sides to release the kernels.  Before adding them to the mayonnaise mixture, make sure they are completely cool. Toss them in the fridge for a few minutes to help speed up the process.
4. Add the cooled corn kernels to the mayo mixture and stir to combine well.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, then scoop onto plates or serve with corn chips for snacking.

---

Notes

This recipe was originally written in summer during the heyday of corn season. If you aren’t making this when fresh corn tastes best, feel free to substitute frozen corn kernels instead.