Lightened Up Esquites
Jun 07, 2025 09:57 AM
This Lightened Up Esquites has all the delights of elotes in salad form. Esquites is the off-the-cob version of elotes—grilled on-the-cob Mexican street corn slathered in a Mexican cream sauce. This is the perfect side dish to your upcoming Cinco de Mayo party or your summer BBQ.
“Esquites” refers to a popular Mexican street food, specifically a salad made with boiled or grilled corn kernels, often seasoned with lime, mayonnaise, chili powder, and cheese, and is derived from the Nahuatl word “íztquitl” meaning "toasted corn". A fresh corn on the cob is made into a lovely salad that combines the best flavors of Mexican Cuisine!
Recently, my husband and I went to a Mexican cooking class where we made a version of Esquites and Mexican Birria tacos. I have always loved making Skinny Mexican Corn Salad but after making this version at our cooking class and loving the creamy flavor from the Mexican crema along with the char corn flavor, I knew immediately I needed to make a lighter version of this corn salad. This lightened up Esquites recipe tastes amazing and I know you will LOVE it too!
Ingredients:
- 8 ears of fresh corn
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 Tbsp light Mayo
- 5 Tbsp Mexican crema - you could use 1/2 cup blended low fat cottage cheese as a substitute for added protein
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped and additional cilantro for garnish
- 1 lime, sliced
- 2 oz. Cotiija cheese, for garnish
- Chili powder, for garnishing
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
10 minutes
Total Time:
25 minutes
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