Corn Salsa

Corn Salsa is a fresh corn salad with tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno, and cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime and you’re done! Imagine Chipotle’s corn salsa with a scoop of Pico de Gallo all mixed together. That’s what this fresh salsa tastes like. This Corn Salsa can be served as an appetizer with chips or is my favorite topping over a salad, fish, or chicken.

EASY CORN SALSA RECIPE

Whenever I go to Chipotle and I’m trying to eat healthy I’ll get a salad with a big scoop of their spicy corn salsa and a big scoop of their mild salsa (pico de gallo).

Their Corn Salsa has a sweetness from the fresh corn but with a whole lot of heat. All by itself, I’m actually not a huge fan. But add a scoop of Pico de Gallo with tomatoes, onion, garlic, and cilantro – yes!! It adds so much.

I know I just made Greek Salsa, but Mexican food will always have my heart.

The hardest part about this recipe is cooking the corn. I know you’re thinking, “Christy, cooking corn isn’t hard.”

It is when your stove takes 15 minutes to boil water. I’m just not that patient. I use number 4 below (the microwave hack) to cook mine.

INGREDIENTS

• FRESH SWEET CORN – Depending on the season or the sweetness of the corn, fresh corn kernels are best but frozen or canned can be used. Sweet raw corn should be cooked though. See below on ways to cook.
• JUICY TOMATOES – It’s best to use whatever tomato is the ripest. I like to use grape or cherry tomatoes but plum tomatoes or Roma tomatoes can be used.
• BELL PEPPER – Use any color you like green, orange, yellow, or red bell pepper.
• FRESH LIME JUICE
• RED ONION – If you want more of a mild flavor use green onions.
• FRESH CILANTRO
• JALAPENO PEPPER – Use just 1/2 a pepper for medium heat and more if you like it hot. The jalapeño seeds make it hot so take them out.
• (optional) BLACK BEANS – They’re not included but you can add them to beef it up.

HOW TO COOK CORN ON THE COB

There are many ways that you can cook corn on the cob and here are the ways how:

1. Bring a pot of water to boiling and boil the corn for 3-5 minutes.
2. Grill the corn over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.
3. Keep the ear of corn in its husk and microwave for 3-5 minutes. It steams the corn.
4. Cut the corn off the cob with a sharp knife and saute in a pan with a little oil for 3-5 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE CORN SALSA

Now that you know how to cook your corn, making corn salsa is a breeze. It’s a lot of chopping but then you’re done. There’s nothing like a spicy, fresh corn salsa.

CAN I USE FROZEN OR CANNED CORN?

I’m usually all about take shortcuts where you can, but when the main ingredient in this salsa you really want to use fresh corn. If you have to choose between canned corn or frozen corn, I would use frozen. Canned corn tends to be a little soggy.

HOW TO GET GRILL MARKS WITHOUT GRILLING

You can get those nice roasted marks but either sauteing in a pan or holding the cooked corn with tongs over an open gas stove flame. I even use my kitchen blow torch sometimes to get a little charred flavor on my corn.

FAVORITE MEXICAN DISHES

• Pico De Gallo
• Homemade Guacamole
• Salsa Verde 
• Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing
• Cilantro Lime Rice
• Instant Pot Mexican Chicken recipe
• Homemade Tortillas
• Jalapeno Popper Chicken Tacos

OTHER CORN RECIPES

• Frito Corn Salad
• Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad
• Cowboy Caviar
• Black and White Bean Dip
• Corn Souffle
• Corn Stuffing Balls

Corn Salsa

4.66 from 20 votes

Corn Salsa is a fresh corn salad with tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno, and cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime and you're done! This is the best corn salsa and is a healthy side dish!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 15 minutes mins

Servings: 4 cups

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh corn, cooked and shucked, about 4-5 ears of corn
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered, (Roma can be used as well)
• 1 cup bell pepper, seeded and diced, red, green, orange, or yellow
• 1/2 red onion, diced finely
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced finely, (you can use a whole one for spicier)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 limes, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste
• (optional) tortilla chips for scooping

Instructions

 

• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients together and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips if desired or over chicken, fish, or a salad. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Notes

HOW TO COOK CORN

There are many ways that you can cook corn and here are the ways how:

1. Bring a pot of water to boiling and boil the corn for 3-5 minutes.
2. Grill the corn over medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.
3. Keep the corn in its husk and microwave for 3-5 minutes. It steams the corn.
4. Cut the corn off the cob and saute in a pan with a little oil for 3-5 minutes.

HOW TO GET GRILL MARKS WITHOUT GRILLING

You can get those nice roasted marks but either sauteing in a pan or holding the cooked corn with tongs over an open gas stove flame. I even use my kitchen blow torch sometimes to get a little char on my corn.

Cuisine: Mexican

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Author: Christy Denney

Christy Denney

Christy is the voice behind The Girl Who Who Ate Everything! She is no stranger to making meals that kids and adults will love. She grew up in Mesa, Arizona as the youngest of ten kids. She can always be found in her kitchen with music playing and cooking with her kids. She published her first cookbook in 2014. She loves party food that gets the conversations going!

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