This is Mexican Style Street Corn (Elotes). The ingredients and preparation for this might sound strange if you have never heard of this before but, trust me. You have to try this at least once in your lifetime. You will never look at corn the same way again when you do. Mexican street corn is a popular street food in Mexico. You will find it available from street vendors at many events, public spaces, transportation hubs, and markets. This is made by grilling corn on the cob until it becomes slightly charred and then coating it with a mixture made from Mexican crema, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chile or chipotle powder, and lime. Enjoy this recipe from all of us at Filipino Chow.
Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 medium ears sweet corn, husks removed
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of Mexican crema
- 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup of cotija cheese, crumbled
- 1/2 cup of cilantro, minced
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
- 1 lime, juiced with lime zest
- ground chipotle pepper to taste
Instructions
- Light your charcoal grill and let the coals get white hot.
- Clean the grates thoroughly once it has heated up.
- Combine the mayonnaise, crema, garlic, cilantro, chipotle pepper, lime zest and lime juice in a mixing bowl.
- Stir the mixture until it is well blended.
- Taste and season the mixture with salt if needed.
- Set the mixture aside.
- Place the husked corn in aluminum foil individually along with a little bit of butter and wrap it up.
- Place each piece of corn directly onto the grill grates.
- Let it cook on one side for 3 minutes then turn it over.
- Repeat previous step until all sides of the corn is cooked, then remove from the grill.
- Unwrap the corn and remove it from the aluminum foil.
- Place the corn back on the grill without the aluminum foil.
- Grill the corn on one side for about 30 seconds then turn it.
- Repeat the previous step until the corn kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred.
- Once the corn has the amount of char you want, remove it from the grill.
- Using a basting brush or a spoon, coat each ear of corn with the mixture you set aside previously.
- Sprinkle the corn with the crumbled cojita cheese.
- Now sprinkle the corn with the chipotle pepper if you want it to be spicy.
- Garnish with any remaining cilantro if you like.
- Squeeze some lime juice over the corn and serve immediately.
You can substitute the crema with sour cream or even heavy cream if it is difficult to find. And as always, you can use a gas grill rather than a charcoal grill if you prefer.