Mexican Street Corn Slaw

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This bold and exciting Mexican street corn salad-inspired slaw is a quick and easy campfire side dish to support your main course.

A fun take on Mexican street corn, this grilled esquites recipe (Mexican coleslaw) is a great side to serve with dinner while camping!

When we think of camping food, we tend to focus pretty heavily on the stars of the show. Like the Southwestern Burgers, Baja Fish Tacos, or Lentil Sloppy Joes. But these stars need support. They need sides. Even the most amazing main course will look lonely and out of place sitting by itself on a big empty plate.

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A fun take on Mexican street corn, this grilled esquites recipe (Mexican coleslaw) is a great side to serve with dinner while camping!

“But the main course was hard enough to pull off out here in woods! Now you’re telling me I need to make a side too?” you’re quite probably be saying to yourself. Yes. Sides are critical if you’re not making an all-inclusive one pot meal (and even then a side never hurts to extend the meal!). But thankfully we have a quick and easy side that is guaranteed to fit the bill. The answer is this Mexican Street Corn Slaw.

Grilling corn on a campfire

The idea for this slaw came to us after we shot our grilled elote recipe. (After all, four cobs of corn is a lot to eat for just two people.) So we figured why not combine all of these amazing flavors with some chopped red cabbage and turn it into a spicy, smoky, campfire slaw?

A fun take on Mexican street corn, this grilled esquites recipe (Mexican coleslaw) is a great side to serve with dinner while camping!

Making this side is similar to making Mexican street corn. First, throw some corn on the campfire grill until it gets nice and charred. Meanwhile, chop up some thin slices of red cabbage and blend together some mayonnaise with chili powder (or hot sauce). When the corn is done, cut off the kernels with a sharp knife. Toss the corn in with the cabbage, dress with the spicy mayo, sprinkle in Cotija cheese, some cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Toss around until evenly coated and that’s it. You’re done!

A fun take on Mexican street corn, this grilled esquites recipe (Mexican coleslaw) is a great side to serve with dinner while camping!

By adding in the warm grilled corn, this slaw feels a lot more exciting that a standard bag of mixed greens or store bought coleslaw. So don’t let your main course go out there solo. Give it some support with this delicious and easy Mexican street corn slaw.

A bowl of Mexican street corn inspired coleslaw

Mexican Street Corn Slaw

This spicy, smoky Mexican Street Corn inspired coleslaw is super flavorful and easy to prepare at the campsite.
Author: Fresh Off The Grid
4 from 1 rating
Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
4 servings (as a side)

Ingredients

  • 2 ears of corn
  • ½ small red cabbage, thinly sliced (or 2 cups shredded red cabbage)
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons mayo
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup Cotija cheese
  • 1 lime

Instructions

  • Prep the corn by peeling the husks back (without detaching them from the bottom) and remove all of the silk. Replace the husks.
  • Place the corn on a grate over your campfire. Grill, turning frequently until the corn is charred in places and cooked through, 10-15 minutes. Remove from the grill and allow to cool a bit so they are safe to handle. 
  • While the corn is on the grill, mix the mayo, chili powder and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Once the corn has cooled and is safe to handle, remove and discard the husks. Cut the kernels off the cob and place in a large bowl with the red cabbage and cilantro.
  • Toss the corn, cabbage, and cilantro with the chili mayo and the Cotija cheese until everything is evenly coated. Finish with a squeeze of lime and then serve!

Notes

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Sharp knife + cutting board
Large bowl
Tongs
Measuring cups + spoons
Plates + utensils for serving

Nutrition (Per Serving)

Calories: 188kcal

*Nutrition is an estimate based on information provided by a third-party nutrition calculator

Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Mexican-Inspired
Print This Recipe

A fun take on Mexican street corn, this grilled esquites recipe (Mexican coleslaw) is a great side to serve with dinner while camping!

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2 Comments

  1. You blog is fantastic … great ideas and information.

  2. Jessica E Dinowitz says:

    I made a few alterations when I made this recipe.
    2 tbsp cojita – even then I think I over did it. Very strong flavor I believe it’s a brined cheese much like feta
    White vinegar and sugar I added about a tsp or two each of. These are pretty traditional ingredients to authentic american coleslaw.
    And instead of just paprika I kicked it up a notch with Spanish paprika, cayenne anchovies Chile powder and a minced jalapeno.
    Amazing recipe and a great base for creativity4 stars