Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad

Chopped potatoes are tossed with sweet corn, spicy jalapenos, boiled eggs, fresh green and red onions, and salty cotija cheese to create this most delicious Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad! With its creamy, zingy, and tart dressing, this potato salad will most definitely be the most popular side at any backyard barbecue this summer!

I was born and raised in Newfoundland. Do you know what that means? Among other things, it means that I know potato salad better than anyone! As a food blogger, it is my job to try recipes, and I’ve tried more potato salads than I care to count. However, you can bet that if I were to make a list, this Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad would easily be in the top five!

Ever since I was a little boy, I’ve always loved corn more than any other vegetable. Most of the corn that we ate growing up came from a can. Fresh corn was not readily available in Newfoundland’s outports back in the 70s and 80s. I can honestly say that I don’t ever remember seeing frozen bagged corn or fresh corn on the cob as a child. My mother always purchased corn in cans.

There was the regular canned kernel corn that also came in a peaches and cream variety. There was also the canned creamed corn. And, on occasion, there was a canned corn that had red and green peppers in it too. Oh, and of course, there was the canned corn on the cob.

Yes, Dear Reader, canned corn on the cob. In my adult years, I have only ever seen canned corn on the cob when I visited Newfoundland in 2014. We were doing a little grocery shopping and I saw those unmistakably familiar gigantic cans. I loved that stuff! I think there were five in a can and it was the perfect amount for our family of five. We all got one each, but I always wished there was more! Anyway, let’s get to what matters here – this potato salad recipe!

HERE IS WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Potatoes – I like to use a white flesh potato to keep the salad looking bright instead of yellowish.
• Eggs – Hard boil the eggs, peel them and let them cool. When I add hard-boiled eggs to a salad, I like to leave the yolk out and just use the whites. The yolks will make the salad yellow and that’s fine if you don’t mind it!
• Corn – Use well-drained canned corn here. If you are against that, you can use fresh corn that has been cooked, cooled, and removed from the cob.  Frozen corn that has been cooked and cooled will also work!
• Pickled Jalapenos – For flavour and heat. You can omit the jalapeno if you prefer. You may also use fresh jalapenos.
• Cotija – This is a Mexican cheese which is salty and crumbly much like feta. You can use feta or even parmesan if you cannot locate cotija.
• Red Onions – Thinly sliced. You can use pickled red onions if you have them on hand.
• Green Onions – They add freshness and colour too.
• Parsley – Just a little bit for freshness, colour, and garnish. You could also use cilantro. I always use parsley instead because I don’t like the taste of cilantro.
• Mayonnaise – You can use full-fat or fat-free mayonnaise.
• Lime Juice – For optimum flavour, use freshly squeezed lime juice. 
• Salt & Ground Black Pepper
• Chili Powder

USE CANNED CORN FOR THIS RECIPE

As much as I love the taste of fresh corn, I’m sticking to my roots and using canned corn for this recipe. Don’t be ashamed of using canned corn. I know so many foodie snobs who put down food that comes in a can. Well, I’m not one of them.

I was raised on canned foods. In many instances, if my parents refused to buy canned foods, our meals would have been rather bleak. In the cold and vicious winters of rural Newfoundland towns, canned food is a staple that helps residents get through those long winter months.

Besides, argue as much as you will, canned corn has a very distinct flavour. I love the flavour, to be honest! But, I’ve never been able to recreate it. If you are a purist, and you simply cannot use canned corn, you go ahead and use fresh. But, be fair warned; the result will not taste as good!

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN STREET CORN VS HOMEMADE

If you’ve ever eaten authentic Mexican street corn, it will no doubt have been sprinkled with cotija cheese. It is a dry grating cheese made with cow’s milk and is similar to parmesan. In other parts of the world, you may find a fresher, softer version, similar to feta cheese. But, in Mexico, this salty cheese is typically aged for at least 100 days. Cotija is named after the Mexican city of Cotija, Michoacán.

It’s not easy to find in my neck of the woods. So, whenever I recreate a dish that requires cotija, I always use a dry, crumbled feta. It is a great substitute for cotija and will cost a fraction of the price. Cheese shops may carry cotija. There used to be a wonderful cheese shop in Toronto that John.e and I would frequent from time to time. They’ve recently closed their doors so I’ll have to start the hunt for Cotija all over again.

Authentic Mexican street corn will most likely use cilantro too. Since I would rather starve than eat cilantro, my version uses parsley. You can substitute cilantro for the parsley if you wish.

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN STREET CORN POTATO SALAD

Peel the potatoes and chop them into cubes. Rinse the prepared potatoes well under cold running water and transfer them to a pot. Cover with cold water and add a half teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until the potatoes are tender. Drain well and set aside to cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, boil the eggs, drain, cool, peel, and roughly chop. Set aside. Next, prepare the dressing for the salad. Measure the mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, salt, and ground black pepper into a small mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined and set the dressing aside.

Add the cooled potatoes, chopped egg, corn, jalapenos, cheese, red onions, green onions, and parsley to a mixing bowl. Whisk the dressing mixture again, ensuring that nothing has settled to the bottom. Pour this mixture into the mixing bowl and toss well until everything is thoroughly mixed. Transfer to a food-safe container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for at least two hours. Before serving, toss once more.

MORE MEXICAN-INSPIRED RECIPES

I love Mexican food! Well, I guess you could say they are Americanized versions of Mexican food. Here at Lord Byron’s Kitchen, you will find numerous Mexican-inspired recipes to try. In terms of meat, I have a wonderful Braised Mexican Beef, although, since we’re in summer mode, maybe grilled Mexican Chicken Skewers would be most fitting.

To accompany this Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad, why not try my Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad? It’s really good and looking back at it right now is making me want to prepare it once again. Finally, keeping with the salad theme, I have a delicious Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad recipe that is one of my all-time favourite summer sides! You have to try it!

CAN YOU MAKE THIS AHEAD OF TIME?

That’s the beauty of potato salad, isn’t it!?  You can make it a day or two in advance without compromising the texture or the flavour.  Potato salad just seems to get better and better over time.  Even though I am a huge advocate for making things ahead of time, I would not make this potato salad more than 48 hours before I was planning to serve it. And, remember to toss everything well before serving just in case that the ingredients have settled to the bottom.

QUESTIONS?

If I have not answered all of your questions in the text above, don’t hesitate to reach out to me! You can contact me by sending me a message in the comments section further down the page. I will try my best to answer as soon as possible! You might reach me even faster by following me on Facebook and sending me a private message. Scroll down below the recipe card to find my Follow Me on Social Media box and never miss another recipe!