Elote Salad

Elote Street Corn Salad

Ingredients

Salad

• 500g corn kernels, fresh or frozen
• 150g green cabbage, finely shredded
• 100g red cabbage, finely shredded
• ½ small red onion, finely diced
• 30g fresh cilantro, chopped
• 90g cotija cheese, crumbled
• 1 jalapeño, finely diced

Dressing

• 100g 0% Greek yogurt
• 30g light mayonnaise
• 30g fresh lime juice
• 5g honey
• 10g olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 2g chili powder
• 2g smoked paprika
• 1g cumin
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Char the corn

Heat a large skillet over medium-high to high heat.

Add the corn directly to the dry skillet. Cook for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until the corn develops plenty of browned and charred spots.

If using frozen corn, make sure as much excess moisture as possible has cooked off before trying to char it.

Remove from the heat and allow the corn to cool completely.

Don’t skip this step. The charred corn is what gives the salad that unmistakable grilled street-corn flavor.

2. Prepare the vegetables

While the corn cools, finely shred the green and red cabbage.

Dice the red onion and jalapeño and chop the cilantro.

Add the cabbage, red cabbage, onion, cilantro, and jalapeño to a large mixing bowl.

3. Make the elote dressing

In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, light mayonnaise, lime juice, honey, olive oil, garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin.

Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

The dressing should be creamy, tangy, smoky, and slightly sweet.

If it is too thick, add a small splash of water and whisk until it reaches a pourable consistency.

4. Assemble the salad

Once the corn has cooled, add it to the vegetables.

Pour the dressing over the salad and toss thoroughly until everything is evenly coated.

Gently fold in the avocado and cotija.

5. Chill

Refrigerate for 30–60 minutes before serving.

This gives the flavors time to come together while allowing the cabbage to soften slightly without losing its crunch.

Before serving, taste and adjust with additional lime juice, salt, chili powder, or black pepper as desired.