This Corn Salsa Recipe is a great spin on traditional salsa, perfect for dipping tortilla chips or garnishing tacos, nachos or burritos. It’s also wonderful on grilled fish or chicken. If you have ever had Chipotle’s Corn Salsa you will love this one. It is not an exact copycat recipe, it has a little more flavor than Chipotle’s! It is a perfect blend of fresh sweet corn (or canned corn when fresh corn isn’t sweet!), red onion, poblano, cilantro and lime.
Add this Corn Salsa to a taco bar along with guacamole, pico de gallo, and tomatillo salsa!
…and don’t forget the Margaritas (or your favorite Tequila Cocktail!).
RELATED: Esquites – Mexican Street Corn Salad
Ingredients
A simple blend of fresh ingredients mixed with a citrusy vinaigrette is all it takes to make this corn salsa recipe:
Corn: In the summer months when there is fresh sweet corn, definitely use that! One ear of corn generally yields about ¾ cup of kernels. But in total you want about 3 cups of corn.
In the moths when the corn is not fresh and sweet you can use a good quality canned corn. These photos were taken in April, so I used canned corn for the recipe shown.
Poblano: A poblano is a mild pepper that has great flavor. It is the perfect addition to this salsa. It doesn’t have a lot of heat, so if you like things spicy you can add a jalapeno pepper or sub for the poblano. ((and if you love poblanos, you will love this Chicken and Poblano Soup Recipe)
Red Onion: if you have a really strong red onion the flavor can take over your whole dish of corn salsa. To get rid of some of the bite of raw red onion:
Slice a large piece of the red onion, remove the skin. Rinse under cool running water for about 30 seconds, then chop. This removes the enzyme that makes red onion flavor stick with you for a while!
Pimentos: these are basically a red chili peppers that are diced very fine and jarred with brine. They are not spicy! You can find them in the grocery store either near the canned veggies (I find mine near the artichokes), or near the pickles and olives.
How To
This Corn Salsa recipe is as easy as chopping and stirring. Let’s get started:
- Make Vinaigrette
- Prep Corn
- Cut Veggies
- Put It Together
In a bowl or large glass measuring cup add the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Whisk together and set aside.
If you are using fresh corn on the cob, remove the husk and silk. Give it a rinse, then lay the corn on it’s side and remove the kernels with a sharp knife. Recommend doing this on a rimmed baking sheet or a large cutting board.
Another option is to use a bundt pan, placing the tip of the corn in the bundt center and then cutting down the sides. – see photo
Prep the rest of the veggies by cutting the cilantro, chopping the red onion, and poblano.
Put all the veggies together in a large bowl. Pour the vinaigrette over top and then stir to combine. Let sit for about 20 minutes up to 4 hours in the fridge and then serve!
Serving and Storing
We love this Corn Salsa served with tortilla chips as an appetizer. You can also use it as a condiment for tacos, burritos, or nachos. We especially like it with this Grilled Steak Taco Recipe.
It is also great served over top of grilled chicken or grilled fish for a super healthy dinner.
Keep any unused corn salsa in the fridge for up to 2 days. It will be good up to 4 days, but the corn will start to lose it’s crunch because of the vinegar and lime.
Recipe Tips
Use fresh corn when it’s at the peak of sweetness. Here in the Midwest that is usually summer months – July and August.
In moths when fresh sweet corn isn’t available use a high quality canned corn.
Eat the Corn Salsa within the first day or two. The acid of the lime and vinegar will start to break down the corn after that.
For more heat swap the poblano pepper for a jalapeno pepper.
To dampen the strength of your red onion, slice it and then give it a rinse under cool water before chopping.
More Salsas and Dips
We LOVE chips and salsa here in the Mom’s Dinner kitchen! Try any one of these at your next Mexican dinner:
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Corn Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice
- ½ tsp. fresh grated lime zest
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 2 garlic cloves – minced
- ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp. kosher salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
Corn – choose one
- 3 cups fresh sweet corn removed from the cob
- OR if sweet corn is not is season:
- 2 – 15.25 oz cans whole kernel sweet corn – drained
Fresh Corn Salsa Ingredients
- ½ small red onion very finely diced
- 1 poblano pepper – finely diced, you could also substitute a jalapeno pepper for heat
- 2 oz jar diced pimentos drained
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl combine the vinegar, lime juice, zest, sugar, garlic, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in the canola oil until the mixture is emulsified. Set aside.2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lime juice, ½ tsp. fresh grated lime zest, 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 garlic cloves – minced, ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper, ¾ tsp. kosher salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- In a medium bowl add the corn, red onion, poblano pepper, pimento and cilantro.3 cups fresh sweet corn removed from the cob, OR if sweet corn is not is season:, 2 – 15.25 oz cans whole kernel sweet corn –, ½ small red onion, 1 poblano pepper, 2 oz jar diced pimentos, ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Toss the ingredients with the above vinaigrette. Let sit for 20 minutes – up to 4 hours, tossing the ingredients occasionally to marinate the flavors with all the ingredients.
- Serve with tortilla chips, with your favorite Mexican dishes or also great on grilled meat or fish.
Storing
- Store any leftover corn salsa in an air tight container, in the fridge, for up to 2 days for best flavor/texture.Can be stored up to 4 days but the corn will start to lose it's crispness because of the vinegar and lime juice.
Notes:
If nutrition facts are provided they are calculated as an estimate to the best of our knowledge.
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