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Creamy Mexican Street Corn Salad

Creamy Mexican street corn salad (elote-style) with golden corn kernels coated in a cilantro-lime dressing. The mix is chilled for 15 minutes so cotija cheese, bacon, and red onion taste meld into a spoonable, creamy salad.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
chilling 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 440
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

corn kernels
  • 6 cup corn kernels fresh, frozen, or canned
Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 0.5 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
mayonnaise
  • 0.25 cup mayonnaise
fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 0.25 cup fresh cilantro, chopped chopped
lime juice
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
garlic
  • 2 clove garlic minced
tajín seasoning
  • 1 tsp tajín seasoning
cotija cheese
  • 0.5 cup cotija cheese crumbled
bacon
  • 6 slice bacon cooked and crumbled
red onion
  • 0.25 onion red onion finely diced
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper to taste

Method
 

Make the creamy dressing
  1. Whisk together Mexican crema or sour cream, mayonnaise, fresh cilantro, lime juice, garlic, and tajín seasoning in a large bowl until smooth and evenly colored. The dressing should look glossy with no visible streaks of crema.
Coat and season the corn
  1. Add corn kernels to the bowl and toss gently until every kernel looks lightly coated. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then toss once more so the seasoning distributes.
Fold in toppings and chill
  1. Fold in cotija cheese, bacon, and red onion until just combined, keeping some cotija crumbles visible on top. Refrigerate for 15 minutes so the dressing thickens slightly and flavors meld.
Serve
  1. Give the salad a quick stir before serving and adjust seasoning as needed. The surface should look creamy and speckled, with bacon and onion evenly scattered.

Notes

Pro tip: If using canned corn, drain well and pat dry for better texture so the salad stays creamy instead of watery. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 2 hours ahead (best within the next 24 hours). Freezing is not recommended because cotija and creamy dressing can break. For a lighter option, swap mayonnaise for an equal amount of Greek yogurt.