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This Mexican Chopped Salad is perfect with any Mexican meal and always gets rave reviews! It's also delicious spooned over chicken, shrimp or pork or beef!
This might seem a little strange, but it makes me really happy to come home from the grocery store or farmer's market loaded down with all sorts of beautiful, fresh produce. And if I find it for a super-duper price, well, let's just say I'm like a little pig in mud. This Mexican Chopped Salad is the result of a recent trip to the market.
I always have fun deciding what to do with my stash of fresh goodies. I've been rolling around ideas for a Mexican Chopped Salad for a while now. So when I found tiny sweet peppers, red onions, fresh succulent corn and zucchini, all on sale this week, I did a little happy dance, knowing it was time to make that south-of-the-border-inspired salad happen.
A delicious ugly duckling
I just needed to find one more item; an item that could very likely win "the ugliest member of the produce aisle" award. Can you guess what I might be?
One small jicama (pronounced hē-kə-mə) is what I needed to complete my salad. Jicama is native to Mexico and is used frequently in South American cuisine. I love to use it in salsas and salads as it has a lovely, slightly sweet flavor and a crisp, crunchy texture.
If you've never purchased jicama before, don't be surprised when you finally find it looking like a speckly, brown, misshapen potato. But there's lots of nutritional goodness hiding under that humble surface.
Jicama is low in calories and high in fiber, potassium, iron and vitamin C. I would describe the taste and texture as a cross between an Asian pear, a potato and an apple. Pick one up next time you're at the grocery, you may discover a new culinary friend! Jicama is wonderful in salads and can also be cut in sticks and eaten with dips like hummus and dips.
Back to my Mexican Chopped Salad. It's the kind of salad I can never get enough of; fresh, vibrantly colored and loaded with flavor. Eating it, makes me feel energetic and healthy. The dressing is light and bright, with just a few ingredients; fresh lime juice, honey, a clove of garlic and a splash of oil. A pinch of cumin along with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper finishes it off perfectly. I love simple recipes like this.
If you like a little crunch in your salad, as we do, be sure to pick up a package of corn tortillas. That's what you'll use to make the crispy topping for this wonderful salad. Just slice them up, drizzle with a bit of oil on a sheet pan then pop the pan in the oven till the little strips are gloriously golden brown; a perfect complement to this Mexican Chopped Salad.
A kitchen magician!
Okay, and one little secret I have to share. See how all the veggies are chopped perfectly to the same size in this Chopped Mexican Salad? That's not me. Nope, if I were doing the chopping, they'd be all random sizes. I have this Vidalia Chop Wizard that I'd have a hard time managing without. When I want to make a pot of soup or a salad with lots of chopped veggies in a hurry, I just pull out this little magic chopper and 1-2-3 I'm done!
My daughter-in-law, Lindsay created a quick little video to demonstrate how this little kitchen magician works:
See for yourself!
She also made the video below, demonstrating how to make this Mexican Chopped Salad:
What to serve this salad with:
- It's perfect with any Mexican entree; tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, burritos, etc
- Spoon it on top of nachos, so delicious!
- Serve it with chips (omit the lettuce, if you prefer).
- Serve it with grilled chicken, seafood, pork or beef.
- It's a wonderful side to serve with burgers.
- Make a healthy, whole-meal salad by adding rotisserie chicken.
- This salad is perfect for potlucks and picnics as it goes so well with everything. Don't expect leftovers, you'll be sure to come home with an empty bowl!
If you're craving fresh and delicious, be sure to add these ingredients to your grocery list. Make this Mexican Chopped Salad and enjoy it for dinner along with some grilled chicken, pork or seafood. Then pack it up for lunch the next day, as it keeps quite well. Just a warning though; all your co-workers will be drooling over your delicious, brightly colored lunch. Enjoy!
Café Tips for Making this Mexican Chopped Salad...
- Cooking corn in the microwave is so simple and there's no mess. See the directions below in the recipe or check out the video below. The husks and silks just pull away. The corn is clean and just slightly cooked, perfect for salads like this.
- For a pretty presentation, try to chop all the ingredients about the same size. See the notes above regarding this.
- Although fresh corn is ideal in this salad, you can substitute frozen corn when fresh is not available.
- The tortilla strips are optional and if you're short on time, just skip them. The salad will be delicious without them. Often, if I'm serving this salad as a side to grilled entrees or burgers, I make it without tortilla strips.
- I love red onion in this recipe as it adds such pretty color but yellow or white onion is also delicious!
Enjoy South-of-the-Border cuisine? Check out some of our other Mexican-inspired recipes like our Homemade Flour Tortillas. We've gotten over 1100 comments from cooks all over the world who have fallen in love with these easy tortillas!
And this Mexican Honey Lime Grilled Chicken has also been super popular with our readers. It's perfect for a cookout or summer party!
Mexican Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
Thought for the day:
And we have this HOPE
as an anchor for the soul,
firm and secure.
Hebrews 6:19
What we're listening to for inspiration:
If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations, and ideas for variations.
This Mexican Chopped Salad might just be the freshest, healthiest, most delicious salad you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. And it’s loaded with fabulous Southwestern flavor!
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- taste and add salt if needed
- 6 6- inch corn tortillas
- 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 medium head romaine lettuce chopped in approximately ½ inch pieces
- 1 medium bell pepper diced in ¼-inch pieces**, any color (I used orange)
- ½ medium red onion diced in ¼-inch pieces**
- ½ medium jicama peeled and diced in ¼-inch pieces**
- 1 medium zucchini diced in ¼-inch dice**
- 4 medium tomatoes seeded and diced into ¼-inch dice**
- 4 ears corn if fresh corn is not in season, substitute 1 ½ cups of sweet, tiny frozen corn
- 1 ½ cups canned black beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro plus whole cilantro leaves for garnish, if desired
- instructions
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For the dressing, combine lime juice, honey, cumin garlic and salt.
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In a slow, steady stream, add the oils, stirring continuously with a fork or small whisk.
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Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Set aside.
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For the corn tortilla strips, preheat oven to 400˚F.
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Stack corn tortillas on a cutting board. Cut in half. Cut each stack of halves into thin strips, widthwise, about ¼-inch thick.
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Transfer tortilla strips to a sheet pan. Drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with salt and toss to coat.
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Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, or until light golden brown and crisp. Set aside to cool.
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For the salad, place corn, two ears at a time, in the microwave and cook for 3 ½ minutes.
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Remove from microwave with a hot pad and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
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After cooling, cut bottom end of corn off, about 1 ½ inches from end. Pull back husk and silks (almost all of the silk should easily pull away). Cut kernels from husks and set aside.
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Combine corn and other salad ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add dressing and stir to coat all ingredients. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.
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Serve with tortilla strips on top or place a bowl on the side and let guests help themselves.
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Kathy Hedding says
I made this wonderful salad yesterday to serve today with burgers and French fries. It was a big hit! Everyone loved it. I found out after making it that a few more guests were coming. I took the easy way out and just added more Romaine lettuce to bulk it up a bit. I had plenty to serve everyone. This recipe is definitely a keeper.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Wonderful! Thank you for letting us know, Kathy!
Suella says
Chris, Your recipes, dialog.....oh just everything are wonderful. However, I have saved 2 recipes that I want to use. .Both have Lemon Ginger Poppyseed Dressing. How much poppyseed do I put in? Thanks so much once, again, because I actually look like an incredibly talented cook" to my family ! sfk
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Suella, thanks for your kind words!
Regarding your question, it's 1½ teaspoons.
Dede Lin says
WOW! I made this salad last night along with some Mexican Spaghetti and El Sombrero Cornbread and it was fantastic. This is a keeper for sure. And the dressing was amazing (I doubled it).
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
That's great, Dede! So glad you enjoyed it!
Judy says
Just found your recipe and one thing I did do was find out what was a jicama. Google told me it was similar to an apple but not quite as sweet. I will have to check at our local grocery store. Might only be available at a Mexican Grocery. Until then I will be making this without or a small amount of apple. It definitely sounds delicious. We love Mexican food no matter what it is. Thanks for sharing this recipe. **
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Hi Judy, we can find jicima in our regular grocery store. Enjoy the salad!
Brenda P says
Jimica (pronounce the “j” as an “h”) is more closely related to a sweet fresh raw turnip than an apple. The texture is more like a water chestnut; unless you find fresh ones, they are not a good substitute.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks, Brenda.
Sara says
This salad was wonderful. Made it for a dinner party. I didn’t have the handy chopper so it took me longer but it’s well worth it. I’ll be making this again. Thanks!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
That's great, Sara! Thanks for your review!
Odette says
I made this today and it is delish. Of course, I didn’t’ read the recipe completely before starting and I didn’t cook the corn in the microwave as stated. I’ve made other salads with corn right off the cob so that is what I did here. It may have added a bit more crunch. The dressing is outstanding and the salad turned out really tasty. I will be making it again. Thank you for the recipe and also for adding the nutritional chart.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
So glad you enjoyed this, Odette! Thanks for your review!
Nicolette Cash says
I also did not cook the corn. I make corn salsa with other Mexican dishes I make and just use the kernels right off of the cob. I love the garlic and lime notes of the dressing. I also made the copycat Chipotle salad dressing and married the two dressings together. They were delicious. I love mango with Mexican so I added that to this salad and served baked cod on the side. I will definitely make it again.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks for your review, Nicolette!
Therese Mills says
Beyond YUMMY! Made this recipe 5/12/23 and my husband & loved it!
Plant based entirely and oh so good!
Another great recipe!
Thank you Chris!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Awesome! Thanks for your review, Therese!
Victoria Love says
Made this today for an evening beach picnic. I skipped the romaine entirely. Roasted frozen corn tossed with a little olive oil and smoked paprika. Served it in short plastic cups with Tostito “scoops”, and it was a big hit.
Will definitely be making this again, maybe with the addition of diced mango!
Thank you, Chris!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Great idea, Victoria! And mango sounds delicious!
Victoria Love says
Thanks, Lindsay! Your video was very helpful, too!
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome! So happy you enjoyed it!
Jessie says
Made this for Cinco de Mayo and it was a big hit with our gathering. Many thanks!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know, Jessie!
Pam says
Is there another herb to use instead of cilantro? My main course has cilantro and I don't want to double up on this flavor. Or should just leave it out? Otherwise, the recipe looks perfect for my dinner guests!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Pam, the cilantro in this recipe is not overpowering so it wouldn't be bad to go with it, even if you're using cilantro in another recipe. That being said, basil is always a nice alternative to cilantro.
Karen says
I made this yesterday. It was great and great today as a leftover. We had friends over and everyone liked it. Very tasty! I will definitely make it again.
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Karen!
Cecilia Feld says
This salad was wonderful. I made it for a dinner with friends. I served spicy chicken wings with it and bought good tortilla chips to go with it. It was wonderful and our friends ate all the salad. I doubled the recipe.!!
Thank you for a great recipe! PS I used frozen corn and charred the corn in a non stick dry pan. Worked beautifully!!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Wonderful! Thanks for letting us know, Cecilia!
Lori says
Can this salad be made the day before? I know the dressing needs to be put on right before serving.
Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lori, yes, you can make this ahead and just add the dressing before serving.
Carol says
Colorful and tasty! Made it for a taco bar wedding, came out beautifully! Thank you for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Carol! Thank you for letting us know!
Gen says
This recipe was a huge hit. I made it for a dinner party and it was a good thing I made a double recipe. The only change I made was substituted cabbage for lettuce. I cut it very fine and it gives the salad an extra crunch. This is definitely our go to summer salad!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Gen!
F Reents says
Very good salad with lots of flavor. Definitely will make many more times.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks, F!
AM says
Thus was delicious. And so forgiving re ingredients. This will be a go to for us especially in the summer.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for letting us know, AM!
Pamela Decker says
I am serving the salad tomorrow. Do I put the dressing on today and let it soak in for more flavor?
Chris Scheuer says
No, I would add the dressing right before serving. The romaine can get soggy if you add it too far in advance.
Jennifer says
Would diced jalapeno work in this salad? Our family likes a little bit of "heat" with our Mexican dishes.
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that would be a great addition, Jennifer.
Herman Salzberg says
Great recipe. I use frozen roasted corn to save time . I cook it then cool it ahead of time. Turns out great!
Lindsay @ The Café Sucre Farine says
Thanks for letting us know, Herman!