This chile corn salsa is a Qdoba copycat recipe, perfect to top your homemade burrito bowls, or to serve with fresh tomato pico de gallo and chips! Fresh, sweet corn is charred to perfection with smokey poblano peppers. The right amount of spice, zesty lime and salt bring this delicious corn salsa together, just like the restaurant version! Serve with pollo asado or bang bang chicken tacos and Chipotle copycat black beans to make it a meal!
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Why This Recipe Works
Minimal ingredients! This flavourful salsa surprisingly has a small number of ingredients. That means all the flavours shine, and you don't need to source out anything extraordinary!
Seasonal friendly! This salsa is as bright as summer, and so is the produce! This is a great way to use seasonal vegetables, just like my bright and fresh lentil tabbouleh salad or this Cowboy Caviar Salsa! Another great way to use up bright, seasonal ingredients is my second favorite Qdoba salsa - roasted tomato chipotle salsa!
Versatile! You can use this salsa as a dip, or a topping to your favourite Mexican-inspired recipes. It's great to have on hand, a way!
Ingredients
- Corn on the cob: I like to use fresh corn on the cob for this salsa recipe. All the corn needs is a quick char on the outside, without softening or cooking the kernels too much. The sweetness of the corn stands out! Another great way to use seasonal corn is in this Elote en Vaso recipe.
- Poblano peppers: Poblano peppers are very similar in taste to green bell peppers, with just a little bit more kick. Once charred, the poblanos also become a little bit sweet, which make for a great addition to this salsa. If you're looking for other ways to use poblano peppers, they are perfect in a California-style cheesesteak sandwich!
- Jalapeño: Jalapeños are a safe way to add in a little bit of heat to your salsa, without being overpowering.
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh lime
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Prep the vegetables - Finely dice the jalapeno pepper, and mince the cilantro. Set aside.
Using a gas burner, a barbecue grill, or an oven (toaster oven is fine) on broil, char the corn and poblano peppers. You can also use a grill pan if you prefer. If you are charring the corn and peppers over a gas burner, keep the heat at medium. Use barbecue-safe tongs to rotate the vegetables over the gas burner, to char. You will hear some popping - that is normal. As always, use caution when using this method, and ensure your heat is not too high!
Once the vegetables are charred, set them aside to cool. Take the corn kernels off of the cob, and add to a large mixing bowl. Remove the skin from the poblano peppers, deseed, and cut into a small dice that is almost the same size as the corn kernels. Add to the corn in a mixing bowl.
Add the chopped jalapeño and cilantro to the corn and peppers. Squeeze with fresh lime, and season generously with salt. Toss, and serve.
Expert Tip
Make pepper peeling easier! Put the hot poblano peppers in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam in the bowl for 5 minutes. This will help separate the skin from the peppers, and peel them easily!
Control the heat! Most of the spice in jalapeños comes from the ribs. If you prefer a spicer salsa, keep the seeds and ribs in the peppers. If you prefer something mild, take them out before dicing them.
Substitutions
- Fresh corn: You can use frozen corn for this salsa, too! Sauté the corn in a skillet instead of charring it.
- Poblano peppers: Green bell peppers will also work in place of poblano peppers.
- Cilantro: If you do not like cilantro (surprisingly, I don't either!) feel free to leave it out.
- Fresh lime: Bottled lime juice will work fine, in a pinch.
Variations
- Spicier: If you enjoy a spicier salsa, you can use a serrano pepper instead of jalapeño.
- Cheesy: For a salty bite, you can add in some crumbled cotija or feta cheese to this salsa.
- Protein: Chop up some grilled shrimp and toss with this salsa to make it a lunch salad, instead!
- True to the restaurant version: The restaurant version of this salsa also uses red peppers, and red onion. I like to leave these two out, however, the authentic Qdoba version does add these in.
Equipment
This is what I used to make this recipe - Please be mindful that different equipment and cooking utensils may yield varying results. Most of my favourite equipment can be found on my storefront.
- Gas burner
- Barbecue tongs
- Mixing bowl
Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead Instructions
You can char the corn and poblanos the day before you plan to serve the salsa, and assemble on the day of.
The salsa can be made completely 2 days before you want to serve it, as well. The flavours will meld together well, but the corn may become a little bit softer in texture.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover salsa in an airtight container in the fridge. The salsa will keep well for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
You absolutely can eat raw corn! Many people prefer to grill, boil or lightly cook corn as it heats the kernels through, but there are no safety concerns when eating raw corn. When it is in season, it is perfectly sweet!
You can freeze this corn salsa. The only thing to keep in mind is that when defrosting the salsa, you may end up with some extra liquid. For best results, sauté the corn salsa to evaporate the liquid, and let it cool.
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Chile Corn Salsa {Qdoba Copycat}
Equipment
- Gas burner
Ingredients
- 4 ears Corn - husks & silks removed
- 2 Poblano peppers - whole
- 1 Jalapeño pepper - finely diced
- 1 Lime - juiced
- ½ cup Cilantro - finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon Sea salt - or to taste
Instructions
- Char vegetables: Using a gas burner, a barbecue grill, or an oven on broil, char the corn and poblano peppers. If you are charring the corn and peppers over a gas burner, keep the heat at medium. Use barbecue-safe tongs to rotate the vegetables over the gas burner, to char.2 Poblano peppers, 4 ears Corn
- Cut the vegetables: Once the vegetables are charred, set them aside to cool. Take the corn kernels off of the cob, and add to a large mixing bowl. Remove the skin from the poblano peppers, deseed, and cut into a small dice that is almost the same size as the corn kernels. Add to the corn in a mixing bowl.
- Mix: Add the chopped jalapeño and cilantro to the corn and peppers. Squeeze with fresh lime, and season generously with salt. Toss, and serve.4 ears Corn, 2 Poblano peppers, 1 Jalapeño pepper, 1 Lime, ½ cup Cilantro, 2 teaspoon Sea salt
✱Recipe Notes
- To peel the peppers: Put the hot poblano peppers in a bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the peppers steam in the bowl for 5 minutes. This will help separate the skin from the peppers, and peel them easily!
- Control the spice: Most of the spice in jalapeños comes from the ribs. If you prefer a spicer salsa, keep the seeds and ribs in the peppers. If you prefer something mild, take them out before dicing them.
- True to the restaurant version: The restaurant version of this salsa also uses red peppers, and red onion. I like to leave these two out, however, the authentic Qdoba version does add these in.
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