This easy Grilled Corn Salsa strikes the perfect balance of sweet, salt, acid, and heat. Bursting with summer colors and flavors, and ready in less than 30 minutes. You'll want to put this salsa on everything: your favorite taco salad, rolled up into a burrito, or served as a fresh side at your next cookout!
Ingredient Notes
- Corn: sweet corn is the star of this recipe, adding a nice crunch! Buy it fresh and grill to add the perfect amount of roasty, charred flavor to complement and deepen the other flavors in this recipe.
- Cojita cheese: this is a classic Mexican cheese that adds a delicious creamy element to the salsa without making it feel heavy. The flavor and texture are similar to feta.
- Cilantro: fresh cilantro is a must in any Mexican-inspired dish -- paired with the lime juice, it brings a bright flavor and fresh fragrance to this salsa. Typically, I'm not a HUGE fan of cilantro, but in this recipe, it's essential!
Step By Step Instructions
How to make grilled corn salsa
STEP 1: First, brush the corn cobs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.
STEP 2: Grill, turning every few minutes. The corn is ready when it's golden with slight char marks and cooked through, about 12 minutes.
STEP 3: Let the corn cool and then cut the kernels off the cob.
STEP 4: Next, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and cumin to a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
STEP 5: To a large mixing bowl, add the corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapenos, cotija, red onion, and cilantro. Toss to combine.
STEP 6: Drizzle over the sauce and toss until the corn salad is evenly coated. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with fresh lime wedges, tortilla chips and guacamole.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Grilling the veggies: do NOT overcook the corn. This will result in a chewy mushy texture, and nobody wants that. You can also slice the red onions, bell pepper, and jalapeno and throw them on the grill to deepn the roasted flavor.
- Storage: store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Serving suggestions: I like to make a flight of Grilled Corn Salsa, guacamole, and Pineapple Salsa as an appetizer, served with fresh tortilla chips. It also makes a great side dish along with this Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. You can add this corn salsa to shredded pork tacos, wrap it up in a burrito or a burrito bowl, or serve as a side with this Green Chile Chorizo and Chicken Mexican Casserole or Chili Lime Chicken with Avocado Feta Salsa. Anywhere you need a fresh pop of flavor!
- Make it dairy free: to make this Grilled Corn Salsa recipe dairy free, simply omit the cotija cheese.
- Add some fruit: This is delicious with chopped fresh pineapple or strawberries added to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, yes, but I don't recommend it. The appeal of this Grilled Corn Salsa is, well, the grilling! The roasted flavor really compliments the sweetness of the corn, and using fresh corn is what gives the salsa a beautiful, crunchy texture.
If you're buying corn early in the season, you can blanch before grilling. Simmer the shucked corn in salted water for 3 to 4 minutes and immediately grill. Corn purchased at the peak of the season can go right on the grill.
Corn is a grain, so it's not allowed on paleo or Whole30. If you're looking for a Whole30-compliant salsa, try this Pineapple Salsa.
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Grilled Corn Salsa
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy Grilled Corn Salsa strikes the perfect balance of sweet, salt, acid, and heat. Bursting with summer colors and flavors, and ready in less than 30 minutes. You'll want to put this salsa on everything: your favorite taco salad, rolled up into a burrito, or served as a fresh side at your next cookout!
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn, shucked
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- salt and pepper
- juice of 1 lime
- zest of one lime
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- ½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- lime wedges, for serving
- tortilla chips, for serving
- guacamole, for serving
Instructions
- Brush the corn cobs with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every few minutes, until golden with slight char marks and cooked through, about 12 minutes. Let cool and then cut the kernels off the cob.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, garlic, and cumin to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapenos, cotija, red onion, and cilantro. Toss to combine.
- Drizzle over the sauce and toss until the corn salad is evenly coated. Taste, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.
- Serve with fresh lime wedges, tortilla chips and guacamole.
Notes
- Grilling the veggies: do NOT overcook the corn. This will result in a chewy mushy texture, and nobody wants that. You can also slice the red onions, bell pepper, and jalapeno and throw them on the grill to deepn the roasted flavor.
- Storage: store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Category: Side Dish Recipes
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Calories: 125
- Fat: 8.2g
- Carbohydrates: 13.5g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 3.7g
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