A Sweet & Spicy Side Dish or Appetizer
This Grilled Corn Salad with Spicy Honey Lime Dressing comes together super quickly with fresh grilled corn, creamy avocado, Fresno chilis, cilantro, Cotija cheese, and a sweet and spicy honey lime dressing. This corn salad was inspired by Mexican esquites and is perfect to serve as both a side dish or a scoopable appetizer served with tortilla chips.
Can I use frozen corn instead of fresh?
I love grilling fresh corn on the cob for this salad during the summer months. Not only is it so lovely and sweet at the peak of the season, but you can control the level of blackened kernels you want this way. However, if fresh corn on the cob is not in season you can absolutely utilize frozen corn instead. This fire-roasted variety is my favorite frozen option, but you can also use traditional frozen sweet corn if you prefer. Simply defrost and add directly to the salad.
Adjusting the heat level
This corn salad has a fair amount of heat, owing to the sriracha chili sauce, paprika, and Fresh Fresno chilis -- the latter of which has a similar (and sometimes hotter) heat profile as a jalapeno pepper. However, I find that the heat is well-balanced by the honey and lime juice. If you have a milder palate and wish to lessen the heat slightly, you can omit the Fresno chilis in favor of mild Spanish piquillo peppers, which are sweet and smokey, or for pickled jalapenos, which you can often find specifically labeled "mild."
What should I serve this Grilled Corn Salad with Spicy Honey Lime Dressing with?
I love pairing this Grilled Corn Salad as a side for grilled fish, steak, chicken, or pulled pork. It also works really well with Mexican main dishes like burritos, tacos, or enchiladas. This dish also works beautifully served as an appetizer with tortillas chips to scoop. Some of my other favorite recipe pairings are:
- Pressure Cooker Barbacoa Beef
- Grilled Skirt Steak with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Salmon with Adobo Sauce and Blackberry Cucumber Avocado Salsa
- Salmon Tacos with Spicy Cabbage Slaw and Lime Crema
- Beef Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Carolina Gold Mustard BBQ Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Wings with Chipotle Peach BBQ Sauce
What tools do I need to make this recipe?
- A grill (gas or charcoal)
- Grilling tongs
- A cutting board
- A chef's knife
- A kitchen scale -- OR -- measuring cups (for less precise measurements)
- Measuring spoons
- A large mixing bowl
- A small mixing bowl
- A fork
- A wooden spoon -- OR -- silicone spatula
Are you looking to upgrade to your cooking tools or replenish your pantry? Check out my kitchen tools shop page and pantry staples shop page to find my must-have kitchen tools, pantry items, and other Whip & Wander favorites.
Looking for more appetizer & side dish inspiration?
Love this Grilled Corn Salad with Spicy Honey Lime Dressing? Here are some additional appetizer & side dish recipes I love:
- Chili Lime Watermelon with Labneh and Honey
- Blistered Shishito Peppers
- Jalapeno Poppers with Sausage and Cream Cheese
- Spicy Cabbage Slaw
- Smashed Potatoes with Avocado Chimichurri Sauce
- Caesar Salad with Spicy Roasted Chickpeas, Jammy Eggs, and Avocado
Grilled Corn Salad with Spicy Honey Lime Dressing
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizers & Bites, Salads & Dressings, Sides
- Method: Grill
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Grilled Corn Salad with Spicy Honey Lime Dressing comes together super quickly with fresh grilled corn, creamy avocado, Fresno chilis, cilantro, Cotija cheese, and a sweet and spicy honey lime dressing. This corn salad was inspired by Mexican elotes with some additions that make it perfect to serve as both a side dish or a scoopable appetizer served with tortilla chips.
Ingredients
For the Grilled Corn Salad:
- 5 ears sweet corn, husks and silk removed (about 710 g corn once removed from cob)
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ tsp Kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp cracked black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 large avocado, pitted and chopped (about 150 g)
- 2 Fresno chili peppers, thinly sliced (about 26 g)
- 6 oz Cotija cheese, crumbled
- 15 g (about ¼ cup) cilantro, chopped
- Zest of 1 lime (about 2 tsp)
For the Honey Lime Dressing:
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil -- OR -- 2 tablespoon traditional olive oil + 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tsp sriracha sauce
- ½ tsp paprika
Instructions
- Preheat the grill on high heat until it reaches between 400-450 degrees. Place corn cobs directly on the grill and close the lid. Open the lid and turn the corn every 4-5 minutes until all sides are cooked and there is light blackening of kernels in some areas, about 20 minutes in total. Remove from heat and reserve to the side to cool slightly.
- Once the corn is cool enough to be handled, slice the kernels off the cob. I find the easiest way to do this is to place a small bowl upside-down in a larger mixing bowl. Balancing the corn tip down and holding the stem, carefully cut the corn kernels straight down off of the cob. This helps prevent the kernels from flying everywhere so they are collected in the larger bowl. Remove the smaller upside-down bowl when finished.
- Add the butter, kosher salt, and pepper and toss through the corn to combine fully.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, combine the lime juice, honey, garlic-infused olive oil (or olive oil + minced garlic cloves), sour cream, sriracha, and paprika with a fork until well-combined. Add the dressing to the corn and toss gently to combine.
- Add the avocado, Fresno chili peppers, Cotija cheese, cilantro, and lime zest and gently toss again to combine. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed.
- Serve immediately or chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutritional information on Whip & Wander is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (1/10th of recipe)
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 247 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Carbohydrates: 19 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
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