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Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Salad

This Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Salad includes fresh corn off the cob, Mexican crema, queso fresco, chili powder, cilantro, lime, & kale. It takes all the delicious flavors of delicious Mexican Street Corn and mixes them with fresh kale to create a fresh and flavorful salad.
Serves 6 people as a main dish or 8-10 as a side dish.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 minutes
Assembly Time 5 minutes
Servings 8
Author Plum Street Collective

Ingredients

Elote Salad Dressing

  • 3/4 cup Mexican crema (table cream) Can sub heavy cream.
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 3 teaspoons sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Salad Ingredients

  • 4-6 ears corn on the cob
  • 1 bunch kale
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup queso fresco, crumbled
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 3/4 cup cilantro, diced
  • additional chili powder, optional
  • additional lime juice, optional

Instructions

  • Begin by making the dressing so you can chill it while making the salad. The dressing can be made right when you start the salad or several hours up to a day ahead of time, and chilled in an airtight container in the fridge.
    To make the dressing, whisk all dressing ingredients well and pour into an airtight container. Chill until ready to serve.
  • Next up, cook the corn cobs in boiling water until bright yellow and just cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  • While the corn is cooing, get your kale ready. The kale will have the best taste and texture if you massage it before building the salad.
    Start by ripping the kale off the stems, into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl. Drizzle the 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the kale (it won't seem like a lot but a little goes a long way and you don't want the kale greasy). Then sprinkle the 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the kale.
    Using clean hands, gently massage the oil and salt into the kale. Start by mixing the kale well, scooping large sections of kale with your hands and squeezing it / rubbing it.
    Then you can even take individual leaves and massage them. It sounds strange but just trust me! It makes the kale taste so much better! No hard crunchy pieces of kale.
    Once the kale is massaged and softened, set aside.
  • Remove the corn from the boiling water using tongs. Let cool for several minutes, then turn each cob on its side and using a sharp knife, cut the corn off the cob. Place into the large salad bowl on top of the bowl.
  • On top of the corn, add the diced red onion, the green onions, the crumbled queso fresco cheese, and the chopped cilantro. Toss the salad to combine.
  • Next, pour the dressing over the salad, and mix well to coat all of it. Kale can handle a lot of dressing so add generously!
  • Once mixed, you can top with additional chili powder and/or lime juice.
    Enjoy!
  • (Stores well in an airtight container for up to 3 days.)