Combining two of my favorite loves..salmon and Mexican street corn was such a good idea. This is going into the weeknight dinner rotation because it’s so quick and easy, and flavorful as heck. It can be repurposed into so many things like tacos, for example. Probably a given, I know. Or, you can add it to a bed of greens!
The salmon is super easy. It gets rubbed with some of my favorite spices, and then gets topped with a little lime juice and zest. Next, it goes into the oven for a quick 20 minutes, and that’s it! I make this version often because it’s delicious and takes no time.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Mexican street corn or “elotes”, get ready. It’s basically one of the most wonderful combinations on this earth. Fresh ears of corn are grilled, topped with Mexican crema and/or mayo, chili powder, garlic, lime, cilantro, and finished with cotija cheese. It’s seriously a dream.
This is kinda my deconstructed version and it would be equally delicious on its own, mixed into quinoa for a vegetarian version, or topped with shrimp, chicken, or steak if you’re not a salmon fan!
And served with a Mexican beer or margarita, of course.
Chili Lime Salmon with Mexican Street Corn Sauté
Ingredients
- For the SALMON:
- 1 lb. salmon (2-3 filets)
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- zest and juice of 1 lime
- For the CORN:
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 3-4 ears fresh corn, cut off the cob (about 2.5 cups)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 2 T. chopped fresh cilantro + extra for topping
- juice of 1/2 a lime
- 1 T. plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 c. cotija cheese, crumbled + extra for topping
- lime wedges for serving
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400℉. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. In a small bowl, combine coconut oil, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and lime zest. Stir into a paste. Rub mixture onto salmon evenly, then squeeze with lime juice. Bake for 20 minutes, possibly a few minutes less. (My filets were pretty thick).
- In the meantime, heat a large skillet to medium high. Add the olive oil and garlic, and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add corn, chili powder, and salt, and sauté for 10-15 minutes until corn starts to get a little golden. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and Greek yogurt. Stir. Finish with the cilantro and cotija and stir to combine.
- Serve the salmon over a bed of the mexican street corn, and top with extra cotija and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
We made this last night – it was awesome! And the street corn is such a great idea and so delicious!
I didn’t really measure anything (as usual); just added the seasonings from the shakers, and and spooned in guesstimated amounts of oils, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, etc … and it all turned out wonderful.
I cut the marinade recipe in half, for a single piece of fish (for two of us). Our salmon filet was 3/4″-1″ thick and, at 400º in a convection oven, was completely done in 13 minutes.
I didn’t have corn on the cob, so I used organic frozen sweet corn niblets (that I rinsed for a few seconds under warm water in a colander to thaw) … made the full 2-1/2 cups, and the two of us gobbled every bite!
This one’s a KEEPER, thank you!
Thank you so much Dixine! I’m so happy you loved it!
OMG this was amazing! It was a nice night, so we grilled the fish with some applewood. We will absolutely be putting this in our regular rotation for Mexican dinner. Thank you for this incredible recipe.
I am so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much!!
Wow! That was excellent! I made mine dairy free (replacing the Greek yogurt with Oat Cream and nutritional yeast)! Will make again as it was so quick! Thank You!
Thanks so much Erin, so happy you enjoyed it!!
This was an amazing recipe. I wanted something with a Mexican taste and wanted a salmon recipe. I was not disappointed. I made this for my wife, who is a nutritionist and great cook. She gave it a two thumbs up! The only thing she suggested was to leave out the salt in the corn, because the cotija cheese is salty enough. I added jalapeños to the corn and took the fish out a little too late. It was 120 degrees at 15 minutes and I left it in for three more minutes, just a little too done for me. Next time I will know. I added a wild rice blend and salad and everything was delicious.
I’m so happy you both loved it! Thanks for your kind words!
Super easy to make and delicious! Everyone loved it.
I’m so happy to hear that – thanks Laura!!