Corn Salsa with Chili and Lime
A zesty, smoky sidekick for chips, grilled chicken, or tacos
Rule #1 of corn: It’s always better with chili powder.
That’s why I took this chipotle-adjacent recipe and made sure it had the magic dust. This salsa is fantastic with any Mexican dish because it’s packed with flavor– spiciness from the chili powder, heat from the jalapeno, sweetness from the corn and tomatoes, and a punch from the lime and shallot.
This recipe is also inspired by one of my favorite easy-meal creators, ShaySpence.
The Perfect Grilling Meal
I personally like to serve this salsa on top of grilled blackened chicken. Last night, we broke in the grill for the season and sipped on some prickly pear Shiners while cooking up the chicken. It was the perfect way to kick off Cinco de Mayo. While you’re grilling you could totally add 3-4 cobs of corn instead of using frozen corn. I love a good char on my corn, but I find that the frozen fire-roasted corn from Whole Foods gets me almost the same flavor without as much effort.
And if you’re always on the hunt for a lighter Mexican meal (which I know isn’t easy), I convinced myself this morning that this salsa with some grilled chicken is kind of like a salad. A super light vegetable medley with some protein! Delicious!
For my dairy-free friends, you can also opt out of the cheese on this one and you won’t loose any flavor. We skipped the cotija cheese this go around, but it’s really good with it too!
Recipe
Ingredients
One 16 oz bag of frozen corn (I like the fire roasted corn from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s)
1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 shallot, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of salt
1/2 cup cotija cheese optional
Recipe
Start with mincing your shallot and adding it to a large bowl with your lime juice. Let it sit in the juice while you prep everything else. The juice will help take some of the bite out of the raw shallot.
Add minced jalapeno and quartered cherry tomatoes to a large bowl.
Cook the corn. I like to just heat it up in a skillet on the stove. Should take about 5-6 minutes.
Add the cooked corn to the large bowl with the jalapeno and tomatoes. Also add the shallot and lime juice. Stir.
Mix in the final ingredients, chopped cilantro, chili powder, salt, and cotija cheese (optional).
Serve with tortija chips or add it on top grilled chili lime chicken, tacos, or fajitas. Enjoy!