This is just one of the unique salsa recipes we have on Drugstore Divas. If you want more creative ideas, check out our list of Easy Homemade Salsa Recipes. Once you make salsa at home, you’ll stop buying it from the grocery store.

Grilled Corn Salsa Recipe

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Grilled Corn Salsa Ingredients:

You can get the full list of ingredients with measurements in the printable recipe card below.

• Corn on the cob – We use leftover grilled corn on the cob from a barbecue. You can use canned corn, if you want. Two corn husks is about one can of corn.
• Orange bell pepper – You could use green or red bell peppers instead, but since we already have green and red in this recipe, I use orange.
• Roma tomatoes – Roma tomatoes have a lower water content than other tomatoes, so your salsa won’t get soggy if you use them.
• Red onion – This adds a nice texture and a little pop of color.
• Fresh cilantro – Fresh herbs add a lot more flavor than dried herbs do.
• Jalapeño pepper – This adds a little heat, which is a balance for all the sweet corn.
• Queso fresco – This is a neutral, crumbly, creamy cheese that you find in a lot of Mexican dishes. If you can’t find it, you can use cotija cheese instead.
• Salt – This brings out the flavors and also draws out a little moisture from the vegetables, so you get more flavor.
• Tajín seasoning – This is a chili lime seasoning that adds a little salty and sweet flavoring to your salsa.
• Fresh limes – If you can’t find any fresh limes, you can substitute bottled lime juice instead.

How To Make Grilled Corn Salsa:

We use leftover grilled corn on the cob for this recipe.

If you don’t have any leftover corn on the cob, then wrap corn in foil with a pat of butter and salt and grill it indirectly for 45 minutes.

Use a really sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off of the cob and into a large bowl.

The easiest way to do this is to hold the corn upright in the bowl, then cut down the cob. Be really careful, especially if you grilled the corn with butter, because your hands may be greasy and you don’t want to slip.

Quick note: If you don’t want to grill corn for this, you can just use canned corn. You’ll need 2.5 cans. You’ll also want to just season it a little more because you won’t get the extra flavor from the butter and salt from grilling.

Dice the bell pepper into small pieces and add them to the bowl with the corn.

You want to try and cut the pepper pieces to be about the same size as the corn, just so it eats better.

Dice the Roma tomatoes and add them to the bowl.

You want about the same amount tomatoes as pepper. So, try and eyeball it. It should be between one and two large Roma tomatoes. But, if you’re not hyper-focused on ratios, you can just cut two full tomatoes.

Cut the red onion and add it to the bowl with the corn mixture.

Same as with the previous ingredients. Try to cut it the same size as the corn and add the same amount as the pepper.

Finely chop the cilantro.

Add it to the bowl.

Chop the jalapeño pepper and add it to the bowl.

Now, quick note about the jalapeño. The spice adds a nice balance to the sweetness of the corn, but also from the bell pepper and sweet onion. So, you really don’t want to skip this.

The heat of a jalapeño varies per pepper, and you can’t really know the heat level beforehand. However, a jalapeño’s spiciness comes mostly from the white ribs in it, not from the seeds. So, if you’re trying to tame the heat, cut out a lot of the ribs before adding the pepper to the mix. And if you like heat, keep in the ribs.

Crumble in the queso fresco.

You really want to get it between your fingers and crumble it in. That will evenly distribute the flavor and slight saltiness you get from it.

Add in the salt and Tajín seasoning and give it a good stir to combine everything.

It’s a good idea to taste it here to see if you’d prefer any more season. We serve this with salty tortilla chips, so I usually add less salt than I want in a bite, so keep that in mind.

Squeeze in the juice of two limes and give the corn salsa a stir.

Quick note: The easiest way to get the most lime juice out is to microwave the lime for 15 seconds on high. Then, roll it on a counter for a few seconds to loosen it up.

Cut the lime in half after its counter massage and you’ll be able to get out more juice than you would from a cold, non-massaged lime. And more lime juice means more flavor.

Stir the corn salsa again to make sure the lime juice is spread throughout.

You can serve this immediately, although the flavors are better if you let it rest in the refrigerator for a while.

I usually serve this as a snack with tortilla chips. Pete loves to use this as a salsa on top of tacos. It also makes a really great side dish for a summer potluck.

Grilled Corn Salsa: Frequently Asked Questions

More Leftover Corn On The Cob Recipes:

If you grilled too much corn and have lots of corn on the cob leftover, this corn salsa is a great way to use it. You could also use it in our Grilled Mexican Street Corn Salad. That also starts with grilled corn on the cob.

If you bought too much corn on the cob and haven’t grilled it yet, you can use it to make our Grilled Corn Ribs recipe. For that, you cut and season the corn cobs before you grill them, so it only really works with raw corn.

We also have some more Budget-Friendly Fresh Corn recipes too, if you need even more different ways to prepare it.

Continue to Content

Yield: 14 Servings

Grilled Corn Salsa

Print

If you have some leftover grilled corn on the cob and you need a way to use it, this Grilled Corn Salsa is perfect. Just add a few other simple ingredients and you have a really tasty dish. You can also use canned corn if that’s all you have handy.

Cook Time 45 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 5 ears of corn on the cob (or 2.5 to 3 15 oz. cans)
• 1 orange bell pepper
• 1 to 2 large Roma tomatoes
• 1/3 large red onion
• 12 sprigs of fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 2.5 oz of queso fresco
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 to 2 teaspoons Tajín seasoning
• 2 fresh limes

Instructions

1. Use a really sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off of the cob and into a large bowl. (You can use either leftover grilled corn on the cob, grill corn, or use a can).
2. Dice the bell pepper into small pieces and add them to the bowl with the corn.
3. Dice the Roma tomatoes and add them to the bowl.
4. Cut the red onion and add it to the bowl with the corn mixture.
5. Finely chop the cilantro. Add it to the bowl.
6. Chop the jalapeño pepper and add it to the bowl.
7. Crumble in the queso fresco.
8. Add in the salt and Tajín seasoning and give it a good stir to combine everything.
9. Squeeze in the juice of two limes and give the corn salsa a stir.
10. Stir the corn salsa again to make sure the lime juice is spread throughout.

Notes

Nutrition Information

Yield

14

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 52Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 3mgSodium 520mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 2g

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