Like Mexican street corn? Then you'll love this Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad! Tender cubes of potato and charred sweet corn kernels are coated in a creamy mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream, salty cheese, chilies, garlic, and the tangy zing of lime zest.
A Unique and Different Kind of Cold Potato Salad
This Mexican street corn potato salad recipe is a glorious way to pimp out the plain ol' cold potato salad.
Developing this recipe, I wanted to try using lime zest instead of lime juice. I was a little worried the zest might throw off some bitter vibes, but ended up going for the gold.
So glad I did because it turned out much better than I ever expected! The zest really brightens the salad up and adds such a fresh zing.
It's so good, I'm thinking of adding lime zest to every potato salad I make.
What is Mexican street corn
Mexico is famous for their elotes (street corn) sold by street vendors.
The corn on the cob is stuck on a wooden stick, grilled over a fire, then coated in a mixture of:
- Mexican crema
- Cotija cheese
- chili powder
- salt
Then, it's served directly on the cob or cut off and served in a bowl.
This snack is so popular, it has found it's way over to the states and is frequently seen in restaurants as an appetizer or a side dish.
Honesty, after eating Mexican street corn, it's hard to go back to the typical buttered way again.
A corn potato salad that's perfect for any occasion
This is such an easy potato salad and it's perfect to bring to any party.
Obviously, any Cinco de Mayo party would love to have this salad on the table, but it is ideal for all non-Mexican situations too.
This easy potato salad will be your go-to salad dish to bring to potlucks, picnics, and get-togethers all summer (and year) long.
I love how this corn potato salad recipe turned out and that it's so different from the classic potato salad. AND it tastes exactly like Mexican street corn!!!!
It is a great way to highlight the delicate flavor of fresh sweet corn and also makes a great vegetarian side dish recipe.
How to cut corn off the cob
A corn stripper is the best way in the whole world to remove corn from the cob.
It makes life so easy for when you have the dubious task of removing those pain in the ass kernels from the cob without spraying corn juice all over the place.
I don't have many gadgets in my kitchen, but I'm very glad to have made space in my kitchen drawer for this little guy.
Love you long time corn stripper
❤️
These pork carnitas are a favorite entree to this cold salad in my house. It's also a perfect side to my smoked meatloaf. You know that flavor combo of corn and meatloaf is sooooo good together!
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a comment and a rating below to let me know! I LOVE to hear from you!
RECIPE
Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 ears of fresh corn , husk and silk removed
- 3 pounds Yukon gold potatoes , about 8 medium , washed & unpeeled, cut into quarters
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- â…” cup cotija cheese , finely crumbled (can substitute feta cheese)
- ½ cup sweet or red onion , minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- zest of 1 lime
- salt to taste
- optional accompaniment : extra cotija cheese, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat until hot, add the corn and char on all sides, turning occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut the kernels off the cobs. Set aside.
- Place the potato quarters in a large pot and cover with water. Cover pot and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain water and allow potatoes to cool slightly before removing the skins and cutting into bite sized cubes. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, cotija cheese, onion, garlic powder, chili powder, and lime zest. Add the potato cubes and the reserved charred corn kernels and mix well. Add additional salt to taste, if necessary.
- Top with extra cotija cheese and/or chopped cilantro, if desired. Serve with lime wedges at room temperature or cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- Store potato salad covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you can't find cotija cheese in local grocery stories, just substitute feta cheese.
- Can substitute frozen corn kernels for fresh corn, just be sure to thaw the kernels first prior to adding to the potato salad. Trader Joe's has frozen charred corn kernels that I've used in this recipe when my stores didn't have fresh corn on the cob.
Jessica Elston
So good! I just made this over the weekend and NEVER going back to regular potato salad again! Making it again (double batch) next weekend to bring to holiday party.
Bren Harrison
I absolutely love this recipe. Fired up the grill and made it as a side dish for a lovely dinner outside. The charred corn added such a wonderful smokiness to the creaminess of the potatoe. This was a winner in my books!
Kay Wilson
WOW!I've always hated potato salad.Cold potatoes in mayonnaise is not my thing.My daughter wanted me to make it so i made it.I tasted it after everyone raved about it and it's fantastic!You have changed my opinion on potato salads.
Kristin K
I love corn and potatoes so thought I'd try this when I saw it on pinterest. OMG, it's so good! I wasn't sure about the lime zest but it really adds a zip. Delcious!
gabriellahada
Made it yesterday...was quick, and came out very nice...(just added one small red onion to it) somehow it's a nice twist on the "old" potato salad!!! Love it!!!
Nancy
I love potatoes salad and this is such a great idea! putting together street corn with potatoes! genius. its my go to recipe from now on.
JG
Yum! I love corn and this was absolutely delicious, plus I need to invest in one of these corn strippers. I am shocking my kitchen gets covered in stray corn whenever I make a corn dish.
Donna L
I LOVE corn. Love it. So much! And this salad is killer with the potato/corn/lime/cheese combo. Thanks for the recipe!
Angie
This salad was so delicious!
Brandi H
so this may be the best potato salad I've ever made! Easy and I used trader joe's corn like you did. Family loved it and want me to make it again tonight.
Cathy Morris
This salad is amazing! I'm glad you went for "gold" and threw the zest in there. My family loved this one and will be on regular rotation!
Mary
This was a serious win win at my July 4th bbq! It was gone in a flash and everyone was asking me for the recipe! This is my new favorite potato salad and thank you for a great recipe.
Tami R
I love charred corn and this recipe didn't disappoint. It added so much additional flavor in this potato salad. Was super yummy!
Kourtney
I totally love Elote and this salad rocks 🙂