Summer Street Corn Inspired Salad
I’m so excited about this new simple but delicious street corn inspired salad! It’s perfect for lovely summer eating. Corn is such a powerhouse ingredient in late summer, so keeping it simple is my favorite way to honor it. If you’re having a barbecue or just looking for lovely eating, this street corn salad is fabulous.
How to Make Street Corn Inspired Salad
Your street corn salad will start with six ears of corn. Absolutely get fresh corn in season for this. There is nothing that compares to the freshness and juiciness of corn right off the cob. Cut the kernels off of the cob and set aside. Make some oven bacon and preserve the fat. This is my genius hack: now sauté the corn in the bacon fat. It’s truly next level deliciousness.
While the corn sautés up, prep the remaining ingredients. Chop your bacon, chives, and basil, and squeeze your lime juice. Once the corn is soft, remove from the heat and you are ready to combine! Add the mayo and cotija cheese to the pan, along with the chives, basil, bacon, and lime juice. Stir and finish it off with salt and pepper to taste. And just like that, you are ready to eat your street corn salad!
How to Enjoy Your Salad
This salad is amazing on its own, but you can also serve it with your favorite protein. Additionally, feel free to mix it up and make it your own! Add jalapeños, cilantro, red pepper, tomatoes, green onions, anything your heart desires. This is the kind of recipe you can have on repeat, but make it totally new and fresh every time.
If you make this Street Corn Salad, be sure you rate and review it below. I am so excited to hear what fun ways you make it your own. If you’re looking for more inspiration, sign up for our Friday Favorites newsletter, and follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, and TikTok to join in all the fun!
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Summer Street Corn Inspired Salad
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This Street Corn Salad is perfect for summer eating. It’s a great side dish for a barbecue or weeknight eating. It’s an absolute crowd pleaser.
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of bacon
- 6 ears of corn, sliced off the cob, approximately 4 cups
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 ounces cotija cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced chives
- 2 tablespoons julienned basil
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of salt, or to taste
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Place four slices of bacon on a sheet tray lined with parchment and cook on the oven until crispy, around 20 minutes. Reserve the bacon fat. Set the bacon aside and chop once cool.
In a large pan over medium heat, heat the bacon fat (add olive oil if there isn’t enough). Add the corn and cook, stirring frequently, until cooked through to your liking, about 10 minutes until soft. Remove from heat.
Stir in the reserved bacon, mayo, lime juice, cheese, chives, and basil. Finish with pepper and a sprinkle of salt. I dare you not to finish it.
Notes
- Feel free to mix it up with this recipe. It would be delicious with jalapeños, cilantro, red pepper, green onions, tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and much more!
- You can use queso fresco in place of the cotija cheese.
This was a hit with the whole family! Some of my kids even got seconds (rarely happens with a veggie based side dish.) Very easy – I did cheat and used precooked bacon for the sake of time. Will make again! It served 2 adults and 4 kiddos. If making for company, I will double it.
Made this for company and we all loved it!
Absolutely delicious. My guests ate up the entire bowl.
We made this tonight because we had extra sweet corn. It was so good!!! Thank you for another delicious recipe!!
Made this for a picnic today, but after tasting I want it all for myself!
Over the top, so good! I could eat the whole thing. My bf loves corn so this was a huge hit. I did the bacon in my air fryer, and didn’t have chives so I sautéed a little chopped onion in the skillet with the bacon before adding the corn. Basil screams summer freshness and the lime counters the richness of the cheese, mayo and bacon. 10/10!