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!
So get ready to fire up the grill for this Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad and enjoy it all year long. Let me know in the comments how you liked the lime zest in the salad too!
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
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2/3 cup cotija cheese , finely crumbled (can substitute feta cheese)
- 1/2 cup sweet 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.
gabriellahada says
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!!!
Karrie says
Thank you Gabriella and so happy you enjoyed it!
Marissa says
I’ll take Mexican street corn any way I can get it and love potato salad too – so this is a serious win win! Those corn zippers are pretty amazing with the added bonus of not cutting off a fingertip or something trying to cut the kernels off with a knife!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
OMG! You’re killing me with all your yummy veggies! I can eat some street corn like nobody’s business. And I’ve never met a potato I didn’t like, so this potato street corn salad is so happening over here. That fork pic is totally the money shot, my friend! Me love you long time corn stripper?!?!? LMAO! ?
Cheyanne says
Do I like street corn?! GURL. I LIVE on street corn during the summer.. or spring since I’ve already been eating street corn this year like it’s going out of style! It’s so freggin delicious, right!? Naturally I am loooving this mash up of tater salad and Elote! Flava town USA up in here! I need to make this over the weekend for sure! Cheers, lovely! xoxo
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I love the charred taste on corn. It would add so much additional flavor in this potato salad. Looks super yummy!
Katie Crenshaw says
Karrie you are killing me. I am trying not to eat carbs. If I make this, I might eat the whole dang bowl!!!!! And I really, really want to make this. The ingredient combination is making me drool…. I will make this for the next cook out. That way I am forced to share and I can have a bite. But if I loose my mind and someone finds me in a corner with the whole bowl of this salad, it is all your fault!!! xoxo
Milena | Craft Beering says
Karrie, totally love Elote, my favorite way to eat it is Elote con Crema. Yum! This salad rocks:) and it is begging to be paired with a glass of (beer added) beverage on the rocks with a salted rim.. OMG, it is going to be summer soon! All the fresh corn we will be eating:)
Loreto Nardelli says
Hi Karrie, I absolutely love this recipe. The way you have charred the corn adds such a wonderful smokiness to the creaminess of the potatoe, add in some nice mayo, lime, that acidity from the cotija chees and sour cream, and nice hits of heat from the chilli makes this a winner in my books. Once our weather clears and gives us some beautifyul warm nights, I am going to fire up the BBQW and make this as a side dish and enjoy a lovely dinner outside. This recipe just screams summer! Mexico what can we say, mucho delicioso!
Have a great day Karrie
Cheers!
Loreto
Agness of Run Agness Run says
This salad seems so delicious! I have to try it as soon as possible, Karrie!
Katherine says
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of a corn stripper!! I feel like I’ve been missing out on something fantastic my whole life, haha. This salad sounds amazing too; I’m glad you went for “gold” and threw the zest in there. I think my family would love this one! Great recipe Cheers!
Gaila says
Oh my gosh Karrie, I love potatoes salad and this is such a great idea! putting together street corn with potatoes! genius. Have a great weekend my friend, XOXO
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
First of all – I don’t think you know this about me, but I LOVE corn. Love it. So much! And this salad is killer with the potato/corn/lime/cheese combo. Unlike you, I wouldn’t be able to take to parties, but if I did I wouldn’t want to share and then I’d look like a big meanie. Pinning this and definitely making soon. First when I read you had a ‘corn stripper’, I thought it was some kind of joke; haven’t heard of such a thing, but suddenly need in ma life. P.S. I can’t stop laughing at ‘I love you long time corn stripper.’ Thanks for that XOXO
Milena | Craft Beering says
I hear you Dawn! Corn…MMM. Where I grew up corn was only available seasonally, at the end of summer. I would literally eat nothing else for days on end in order to get my fix of corn for the year. Feeling so blessed now to be able to eat corn whenever I feel like it, even though the sweet corn of the season is always the best.
Heather Wells says
Reminds me of my favorite movie.. Nacho Libre! ” Hey! save me some of that corn!!”.
Ruby & Cake says
Yum! I love corn and this sounds 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.