Let me preface this by saying when I make Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad at home, I have no intention of sharing it with anyone. It was one of those things I make and then hide in the back of my fridge and pretend it's not there so no one else (aka my husband or Poppy) will eat it.
No shame in my game - Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad is so good you won't want to share it with anyone!
Have you guys ever had that delicious Mexican street corn on the cob, known as Elote, that's slathered in mayo, chile powder and lime juice? It's basically the best thing in the world and I'm a BIG fan. The only thing that bothers me about that dish is there is no avocado anywhere to be found. Well, fear not my friends, PROBLEM SOLVED.
Mayo can be substituted for avocado in most any dish in my opinion, so obviously that's what I did. I just took a perfectly ripe avocado and threw it into the blender with a hint of lime juice and a little water and blended it up until it was the same consistency as mayo. And then I went ahead and mixed it in with all my favorite things like quinoa, monetary jack cheese, corn straight off the cob, some cilantro and scallions and then topped it all off with a healthy shake of chile powder and salt and pepper.
You could easily use some grilled corn too, but I'm really into raw corn as you can probably tell!
Much to my dismay, Thomas discovered it in the back of the fridge and I was forced to share last week, Poppy too. He did however declare it to be one of the best things I've ever made! #winning
Mexican Corn and Quinoa Salad (aka Esquites with Quinoa)
Ingredients
- 1 cup red or white quinoa
- 3 cups corn about 4 ears, cut from the cob
- ½ jalapeno seeded and finely diced
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 handful cilantro chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons cotija or feta, crumbled
- chili powder to taste
- ½ cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
- 1 avocado
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the quinoa according to the package directions.
- Once cooked, add the quinoa and raw corn to a large mixing bowl with the chopped jalapeño green onions, cilantro, half of the lime juice, cotija cheese and a dash of chili powder. Toss to combine.
- Remove the avocado from the skin and discard the seed. Place the flesh of the avocado in a blender or food processor with the remaining lime juice and blend until smooth. Add a few tablespoons of water as needed to make the mixture smooth, it should be a similar consistency to a mayonnaise.
- Remove the avocado mixture from the blender, toss it with the corn and quinoa mixture and top with the shredded jack cheese. Season with salt and pepper as needed and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe from What’s Gaby Cooking
Is it 1 cup of cooked OR uncooked quinoa? The video shows what looks like a cup of uncooked quinoa being put into the pot...
TIA
uncooked 🙂 corrected the recipe to read better
I think I could eat this for a whole week!
This is one of my favorite dishes and most of the time when I make it I comment how lucky everyone is that it actually made it to the table since I typically can't stop "sampling" it or as I like to say it's just a bite for Quality Control...lol
.....I'm like you Gaby I have to hide it in the back of the fridge...lol
yaaaaassssssssssss
Made this tonight after I watched you cooked this on Insta live. I ate it with grilled chicken and arugula It was SO good. I could've eaten it all if I didn't force myself to save some for leftovers. Thanks for the amazing recipe.
I was pretty skeptical about raw corn but omg it's amazing! I'm not the biggest corn fan because it's so sweet but keeping it raw totally tones that down and I can 100% get behind it! You are a genius, Gaby!
yay!! So happy you loved this recipe! xoxo
Made this tonight as a side dish for salmon and wow, so good! I used canned corn since that's what I had and it was a huge hit.
Wow, Gaby, just WOW. I was deeply sceptical about this recipe. And admit I didn't have cotija cheese or quinoa to hand. I subbed couscous and feta cheese. It was so delicious and infinitely more than the some of it's parts. And raw corn...what a revelation! Thanks, and I never should of doubted you!!!
This was delicious! The only change I made was to use frozen corn kernals in place of fresh. Another keeper!
This looks amazing! Sadly, my husband is allergic to avocado. Any idea how much mayo would be used to substitute it?
1/2 cup!
Gaby, I love following you on Snapchat and getting your emails. When I saw this recipe, I knew it was a winner. I have made it multiple times and it is a HIT every time! Recently used it for a dinner party and everyone asked for the recipe 🙂
yayayaya!!! Thank you!
Just ate this for lunch and it was SO GOOD! The perfect 'make ahead and take to work' lunch! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
xx Allison @ alwayseatdessert.com
Sounds amazing but I'm not an avocado fan. How much mayo should I use in its place?
Adding this to the must- try list! So bright and fresh for spring!
Love this gorgeous corn dish!!!
I wouldn't want to share either!!
What a great salad for Spring! I have made this during last weekend and I can’t stop eating! I love the avocado till the max! Thanks for sharing this!