Street Corn Burgers

Street Corn Burgers

The bright fresh flavors of Mexican street corn, served like a salad on top of a burger! Each bite gives you the savory juicy burgers, with a bright refreshing kick of spicy and tart corn! This corn salad, also known as esquites, is really the perfect topping for a burger.

The inspiration for this recipe

I love puting salads on burgers. Might seem weird but it is really good! If I had to choose between bright and fresh burger toppings or heavy and over the top burger toppings, I would usually pick the bright and fresh. It creates a balanced burger! I have done it with egg salad, potato salad, and watermelon salad, plus many more! I realized the salad version of Mexican street corn, also known as esquites, would be perfect on a burger!

Make the street corn salad

I have two phases when I make esquites, I like to first add some ingredients when the corn is hot, then add others when the corn is cold. Thaw and cook the frozen corn with some butter to char it slightly, then add it to a bowl. Adding the mayo, garlic, and lime juice now will allow the flavors to really meld into the corn.

street corn salad aka esquites

Then after it cools, I add more lime, and ingredients like cilantro, cotija, and scallions that would wilt or taste different if added hot. Taste and adjust seasonings until it tastes like your ideal version of Mexican street corn, perfect to go on a burger!

add the cold ingredients

Make the burgers

You could do this on a traditional burger patty. I did it that way in the past. This time I did smash burgers though, and it came out awesome! Especially cause I smashed the burger into a pile of thin sliced jalapenos. The flavor of the charred jalapenos was fantastic on the street corn burger!

smash the burgers

Pile up the burgers with layers of cheddar cheese.

add cheese and pile them up

Build up the street corn burger

Toasted bun, mayo, double smash burger, and then the street corn salad we made earlier. That’s it! So tasty!

street corn burger

I love the taste of a cool refreshing salad on top of a burger.

street corn burger

The flavors in this street corn salad ae a perfect match for a savory smash burger! It tastes fresh, bright, and crunchy with a little tang.

street corn burger

Twists on the street corn smash burger

I mentioned that you could do this with a regular burger patty instead of a smash burger. You could also adjust the corn salad to your personal tastes! This is the version I often look at when I am coming up with my recipe.

For more twists on elote, esquites, or Mexican street corn flavors, check out my deviled eggs, esquites chicken sub, elote style corn dogs, or this street corn inspired kimchi pancake!

Street Corn Burgers

These burgers are topped with a corn salad mixture that is inspired by the classic Mexican street corn or elotes
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
cooling time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: burger, Mash-Up, Spicy
Servings: 4 burgers
Calories: 948kcal

Ingredients

Corn Salad

  • 2 cups frozen corn
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 4 limes
  • 1/2 cup cotija cheese
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 scallions chopped
  • 1 fresno chili pepper chopped
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican chili powder
  • 1/2 tespoon chipotle powder
  • salt and pepper

Burgers

  • 1 pound ground beef 80/20 is best
  • 4 jalapenos sliced thin
  • 8 slices cheddar cheese
  • mayo
  • 4 brioche buns

Instructions

Corn

  • Add the frozen corn to a hot pan with the butter. Cook about 5 minutes on high heat to thaw and slightly char.
  • Pour into a bowl and add the mayo, garlic, and juice of one of the limes. Season with salt and stir to combine. Allow to rest in the fridge to cool for one hour.
  • Stir in the remaining ingredients including the rest of the limes. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed to personal taste. Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Burger

  • Split the beef into 8 meatballs. Season well with salt. Preheat a cast iron pan or griddle to high heat.
  • Depending on how much space you have and how many burgers you are doing at a time, add some of the jalapenos. Season with a pinch of salt and make a jalapeno pile for each burger.
  • Put a meatball on the jalapeno pile and smash it as thin as you possibly can over the jalapenos. Cook 2 minutes, then flip. Add a slice of cheese, then stack the patties in twos.
  • Toast the buns lightly, then add some mayo to the bottom. Top with a burger stack, then load it up with the corn mixture. Serve with the top buns.

Nutrition

Calories: 948kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 68g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Monounsaturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 966mg | Potassium: 795mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1181IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 457mg | Iron: 5mg

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