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Get the best of summer with this fresh corn salsa paired with crispy baked chili lime tortilla chips. Made with sweet corn, fresh corn, onion and a little kick, this corn salsa recipe will become the official salsa of summer!
Every time I pick up a piece of corn, I am reminded of how grateful I am that I no longer have braces. Can anyone else relate? You either eat the corn as usual and deal with the consequences or you have to cut the corn off the cob. Let’s be real, it’s delicious either way but I’m still grateful that I’m done with the braces phase of life.
I first created this corn salsa as an appetizer or snack but quickly realized it can be a side or topping for a variety of meals and dishes. I love adding this salsa to burrito bowls, this quinoa taco salad, and even for topping off tacos! Honestly, it reminds me a lot of chipotle’s corn salsa!
If you eat this fresh corn salsa on it’s own as a snack, I highly recommend making these baked chili lime tortilla chips to go with it. Sure, it takes more time than buying a bag of chips but I promise you the time is worth it! If you’ve never made homemade chips, it’s super simple.
Ingredients in Corn Salsa
- Large vine tomatoes – any variety will do. You could use canned tomatoes but I find fresh works best.
- Fresh sweet corn – you’ll remove the corn kernels from the cob using a sharp knife. Alternatively you can thaw some frozen sweet corn.
- Garlic clove + Red onion – finely chopped. Green onion will also work.
- Cayenne pepper – I personally like to use a bit of cayenne in this corn salsa but you could also add another hot pepper like jalapeno, if desired.
- Lime juice – use fresh lime juice for the best flavor. Alternatively if you prefer a little sweetness you can use lemon juice instead.
- Salt + Pepper – add to your taste preference. Feel free to reduce salt if watching sodium levels
How to Make Corn Salsa
STEP 1: PULSE TOMATO
Take one tomato, chop into 4 pieces and place in a blender or food processor. Pulse tomato several times. Tomato should break up and become liquidy with some chunks.
STEP 2: CHOP REMAINING TOMATOES
Remove inner seeds from remainder of tomatoes and chop into small chunks.
STEP 3: COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS
In a large bowl combine tomato chunks with pulsed tomato. Add fresh corn, garlic, red onion, cayenne pepper and lime juice to tomatoes and stir. Add in salt and pepper to desired taste.
Can You Eat Raw Corn?
Yes, yes you can! Raw corn is absolutely delicious and also removes one step to making this fresh corn salsa. You just cut the corn right off the cob and add to the salsa. It’s delicious right then and there but when left to soak up all the lime and tomato juices it gets even more delicious. So fear now, cooked corn is not necessary for this recipe. PHEW.
How to Make Tortilla Chips
Homemade tortilla chips are super easy to make and require very little effort. These chili lime tortilla chips have a bomb of flavor that you can’t get from store-bought varieties. Here’s what’s required:
- fresh corn tortillas
- lime juice
- chili powder
- salt
That’s it! Plus no frying required. Just cut, sprinkle and bake for healthy homemade tortilla chips. Full recipe below.
Storage Instructions
You can store your corn salsa recipe in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Tortilla chips are best served same day but can be saved in a brown paper bag for 2-3 days, if necessary.
More Salsa Recipes + Dips:
- Homemade Salsa Verde
- Pineapple Salsa
- Restaurant-Style Salsa
- Authentic Guacamole
- Greek Yogurt Tzatziki
- Chipotle Black Bean Hummus
Fresh Corn Salsa with Baked Chili Lime Tortilla Chips
Get the best of summer with this fresh corn salsa paired with crispy baked chili lime tortilla chips. Made with sweet corn, fresh corn, onion and a little kick, this corn salsa recipe will become the official salsa of summer!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
For the Fresh Corn Salsa:
- 5 large vine tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh corn, cut off cob (you can also use thawed frozen corn)
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 lime, juiced
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the Baked Chili Lime Tortilla Chips:
- 4 corn tortillas
- juice, 1 lime
- 1 tsp chili powder
- salt, to taste
Instructions
For the Fresh Corn Salsa:
- Take one tomato, chop into 4 pieces and place in a blender or food processor.
- Pulse tomato several times. Tomato should break up and become liquidy with some chunks.
- Remove inner seeds from remainder of tomatoes and chop into small chunks.
- In a large bowl combine tomato chunks with pulsed tomato.
- Add fresh corn, garlic, red onion, cayenne pepper and lime juice to tomatoes and stir.
- Add in salt and pepper to desired taste.
- Store in fridge for up to 1 week.
For the Baked Chili Lime Tortilla Chips:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Place 4 corn tortillas on top of each other and using scissors, cut into 8 pieces (you can also use a knife) so that you have 32 triangular chips.
- In a small bowl juice the lime.
- Dip each chip in lime juice so both sides are coated.
- Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Do not overcrowd (use two sheets if necessary).
- Shake half of chili powder over the tortilla chips and then flip and shake the other half over chips.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Watch closely to ensure they do not burn.
- These chips taste best when eaten the day they’re made but can be stored in a paper bag for 2-3 days.
THOSE CHIPPPPSS OMGGG. They look perfect, absolutely perfect. I actually don’t really like corn, but I will eat it in salsas and obviously in everything else it’s snuck into. I loved my braces, and I wanted them forever. I was totally butthurt when I only had to wear them for a year. I was an odd child…
I have a really good memory! I can remember a lot of details going pretty far back. I think my memory has helped me a lot in school. I also tend to remember really bad things like every time I was sick from the time I was little! This looks AMAZING! I want to make it!!
Oh so true! Braces were a pain, but especially in the summer. Like, who has the corn on the cob CUT OFF? Davida, those chips are going to be my undoing. Chili lime chips? I’ve got my dipping dance on and am ready to rock!
Love the idea of dipping the chips in lime… yum! I’m going to try my chips at 400 instead of 425… they burn really easily and maybe this will help. Can’t wait to try your version!
I have so many good memories but I cannot reveal them on the internet. This is why I need to come to TO and drink all your vodka and facetime Arman together.
Dude, the best of use have been “brace faces”. They were not pretty years but I think it brings those of us who suffered a little closer together, no?
This looks delicious btw 🙂
I feel like it gave me more empathy lol
Your road trips remind me of the ones I used to take with my family when we drove from Edmonton to LA…. except there were only 3 of us in the car so I got the whole back seat to myself and slept a whole lot of the way 😛 It used to be good to be an only child — now I wish I had a brother or sister.
I have an AWFUL memory. I can’t even remember what I wore yesterday (jk… Madewell linen sweater and J Crew Chino shorts). Anyway… funny story about the corn (also we are the same person)… my dad used to carry a POCKET KNIFE just so he could cut corn off the cob for me. Weren’t braces THE WORST? At the pool a couple weeks ago we were eavesdropping on these like 10 year olds conversation about braces and what color rubber bands they were going to have… that was always SUCH a dilemma. I always thought black would be cool but also I lived in WV so people would probably think I didn’t have teeth.
This is the best comment in the history of all comments.
I have been loving summer corn lately and I definitely need this salsa in my weekend plans! I also have some old tortillas that need sprucing up, so thanks for knowing my needs 😉 SO happy to no longer have braces but I kick myself constantly for never wearing my retainer after getting them off…. boo!
Haha! Corn is good. Braces aren’t. This sounds fantastic!