The Best Esquites Recipe (Street Corn Salad)
Look no further for the best esquites recipe! It’s a Mexican street corn salad recipe with charred corn, avocado, tomato, cheese and creamy lime dressing.
We spend a few weeks a year visiting family in Mexico, and the thing I love the most about our trips is the food! I’m sure that doesn’t surprise you. I enjoy the food at the restaurants there, but there’s something I love even more that might surprise you.
My favorite place to get tasty food in Mexico? The street carts! Especially when they have esquites.
Around 7pm, you’ll hear the tumbling of carts being pushed into place all around town, on street corners and throughout the town square. There are all manners of food served from these carts, and it varies widely by region.
In the Yucatan where we visit, we see tacos and tostadas, cochinita pibil pork, fresh fruit and juices, and fresh fried churros. But my two favorite things to order are marquesitas (a fried crepe stuffed with cream or chocolate) and esquites.
What are Esquites?
Esquites are Mexican Street Corn (or elotes), but the corn is cut off the cob.
You’ll sometimes hear esquites referenced to as “elotes en vaso,” which simply translates to “street corn in a cup.” For me, esquites are easier to eat and share while you walk around town than elotes!
For our family of three, we typically order a cup of esquites, a few street tacos, tostadas or tamales.
For dessert, I order a big order of churros or marquesitas. We leave absolutely stuffed with delicious food, and it’s affordable to boot.
The main ingredient for this esquites is of course, corn. I tested frozen sweet corn, fresh and canned corn when developing this recipe.
In my opinion, frozen sweet corn tasted best, but you could absolutely use fresh or canned corn if needed.
Esquites Ingredients
The star of this esquites recipe is the corn, but the added ingredients perfectly complement it! You will need:
- Avocado: Don’t skip the avocado! It adds creaminess and fat to an otherwise crunchy, veggie packed esquites recipe.
- Tomato: This ingredient is not always found in street corn salad, but I think fresh tomatoes are a great addition. Any variety of tomato works, just make sure it’s nice and ripe! If you don’t have access to ripe tomatoes at the moment, just substitute drained diced tomatoes from a can.
- Red Onion: I like to slice the red onion for this recipe into very fine slices, so you get a bit in each bite.
- Cilantro: This fresh herb adds so much to this dish! If you’re cilantro-averse, try fresh parsley instead.
- Cotija Cheese: Cotija is my first choice for this esquites recipe. It’s aged and has a lot of zippy flavors to it. But you could substitute queso fresco, a milder crumbled Mexican cheese, or feta!
- Plain Greek Yogurt: Feel free to substitute sour cream if needed.
- Lime Juice
- Chili Powder
- Taco Seasoning
- Hot Sauce
- Salt: Or substitute extra lime juice instead of salt.
Esquites Serving Suggestions
Equites are wonderful on their own or as a side dish or topping for your favorite Mexican dishes! The flavors in this corn salad make it the perfect accompaniment for a Southwest Chicken Salad, Taco Stuffed Shells, Street Corn Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Jiffy Tamale Pie, Ground Pork Tacos, or Mexican Picadillo.
Or serve it with my Baja Fish Tacos or Flank Steak Tacos!
Can I make Gluten Free Esquites?
Most of the fresh ingredients in this esquites recipe are naturally gluten free, which is great news!
But a few of the prepared ingredients can contain gluten, so be sure to check the ingredient labels. In particular:
- Greek Yogurt: Chobani and Yoplait yogurts are usually gluten free.
- Taco Seasoning: Old El Paso taco seasoning is gluten free.
- Hot Sauce: Almost all hot sauces are gluten free, but it’s worth checking the label to make sure that gluten was not used as a thickener. I use Valentine, and Cholula, Frank’s and Tabasco are also good options.
I hope that love this esquites recipe! If you make it, let me know how it went in the comments below.
The Best Esquites Recipe (Street Corn Salad)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 3 ½ cups frozen sweet corn, frozen
- 2 avocados, peeled, pits removed, chopped
- 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup crumbled cheese, Cotija, Queso Fresco or Feta
- 4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste, or add additional lime juice
Optional garnish:
- Extra cilantro or crumbled cheese.
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the unsalted butter. Add the corn into the skillet and cook until the corn is slightly charred, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add avocado, tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, cheese, Greek yogurt, lime juice, chili powder, taco seasoning, hot sauce, and salt. Toss gently to combine.
- Once the corn has cooled, add the corn to the prepared ingredients. Gently toss until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Plate and serve with additional cilantro and feta for garnish.
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