Sweet Corn Salsa

July 17, 2021

If you’ve never raw fresh sweet corn, let this recipe be a sign that you totally need to try it. Fresh sweet corn is one of the best parts of summer and when it’s raw it is deliciously sweet, crunchy, and *juicy*. And this Fresh Sweet Corn Salsa is the perfect way for you to dip your toes into the waters and experience the awesomeness that is raw sweet corn.

Overhead view of a bowl of sweet corn salsa with lime and salt on the side

What’s in Corn Salsa?

I like to keep things simple in life, so I made my corn salsa super simple, kind of like a pico de gallo with corn. It has fresh sweet corn, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. That’s it! It hits all my favorite flavor elements: sweet, salty, acidic, and spicy!

Do You Have to Use Fresh Corn?

You don’t have to use fresh corn for this salsa, but it’s definitely going to make the salsa top-notch. If you want to make this salsa in the off-season or just don’t have good fresh corn available, the next best choice would be frozen corn. I don’t suggest canned corn for this recipe because it will definitely throw the flavor off since it is canned in liquid that usually contains both sugar and salt.

If you want to use fresh corn but just don’t want to use raw corn, grilling the corn first will give this salsa a nice smokey flavor. You can also just do your usual boil, steam, or oven roasting.

If you need help knowing how to pick the best fresh corn, check out this short tutorial from Taste of Home about How to Pick the Best Corn.

What Else Can You Add?

If you do want to fancy it up some, here are some other great flavors that would be awesome in corn salsa:

Avocado (the fat will balance the heat nicely)
Cotija cheese
Green onion (a great sub for red onion, if needed)
Black beans
Red bell pepper

How to Serve Corn Salsa

Corn salsa is that great all-purpose summer condiment or side. You can serve it on things or just as a sort of side salad to your meal. I served mine this week on top of my Fish Tacos, but it would also be great with Beef Taco Skillet, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Easy Cilantro Chicken, Creamy White Bean and Spinach Quesadillas, or Black Bean and Avocado Enchiladas.

Close up shot of fresh corn salsa from the side

overhead view of a bowl full of corn salsa

Sweet Corn Salsa

Fresh and juicy summer sweet corn makes the best corn salsa for topping tacos, salads, bowl meals, or dipping with your favorite chips.

Total Cost $2.65 recipe / $0.44 serving

Prep Time 15 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6 ½ cup each

Calories 83kcal

Author Beth – Budget Bytes

Ingredients

3 ears sweet corn $0.90
2 Roma tomatoes $0.93
1/4 cup diced red onion $0.07
1 jalapeño $0.07
1/4 cup chopped cilantro $0.17
1 fresh lime (2 Tbsp juice) $0.50
1/2 tsp salt $0.02

Instructions

Remove the husks and silk from the fresh corn. Cut the stem off the bottom to create a flat, stable surface on which to stand the ear of corn. Stand the ear of corn upright, stem side down, and slice downward with a sharp knife to remove the kernels. Place the sliced kernels in a large bowl.
Dice the tomatoes. Remove the seeds from the jalapeño, then finely dice. Finely dice the red onion, and roughly chop the cilantro. Add the tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, and cilantro to the bowl with the corn.
Juice the lime then drizzle about 2 Tbsp of the juice on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle the salt over top, give everything a good stir, taste, then adjust the lime or salt to your liking. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

side view of a bowl full of fresh sweet corn salsa

How to Make Sweet Corn Salsa – Step by Step Photos

corn kernels sliced off an ear of corn in a baking tray

Remove the husk and silk from three ears of fresh sweet corn. Slice the stem off the bottom to create a flat surface on which to stand the ear of corn. Stand the ear up on its end, then use a sharp knife to slice downward to remove the kernels. I like to do this on a rimmed baking sheet to catch the kernels as they fall.

Dice three Roma tomatoes. Try to make it a small dice, similar in size to the corn kernels.

Diced jalapeño, red onion, and chopped cilantro

Remove the seeds from one jalapeño, then finely dice. Finely dice about ¼ cup red onion and roughly chop about ¼ cup fresh cilantro.

lime juice being drizzled over the bowl of salsa ingredients

Add the corn, tomatoes, jalapeño, red onion, and cilantro to a bowl. Squeeze the juice from one lime, then add about 2 Tbsp of the juice to the bowl. Sprinkle ½ tsp salt over top.