Food Fashion and Flow: Mexican Street Corn (Elote)   

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Mexican Street Corn (Elote)

I have always been a fan of roasted corn. At fairs, carnivals and farmers markets I can often be found chomping on delicious grilled corn slathered with butter. Mexican street corn is delicious on a completely different level.  Grilling the corn over charcoal intensifies the flavors of sweet, crunchy, spicy and savory.  The sweet juicy corn, chili powder, cotija cheese and fresh lime is so good  and I can never eat just one. This has become my new favorite way to eat corn on the cob. Mexican Street Corn? Yes Please! 
A Latina friend of mine first told me about this type of corn and when she told me that mayonnaise was a key ingredient, I could not imagine that it would taste good, but I was so wrong and the end result is absolutely delicious and such an amazing flavor combination. Thanks to a chef friend at a Mexican restaurant, I now know how to make delicious Mexican Street corn at home and wanted to share the recipe with you. 
I like to put the corn directly on the grill because I love how it caramelizes some of the corn and makes those beautiful charred marks on the corn. You can also achieve a similar effect roasting your corn in the oven. The flavors come together with a fresh squeeze of lime right before sinking your teeth into this mouthwatering corn.

Start with fresh corn on the cob
Cut lime into wedges for the finishing touch. A fresh squeeze of lime right before you take a bite adds a great flavor infusion and marries well with all of the other spices and flavors


When you combine these ingredients and slather it on hot grilled or roasted corn, the result is unbelievable delicious. It is very important to use real mayonnaise, not miracle whip or any type of sandwich spread, it needs to be just plain mayonnaise. My special touch is adding a bit of smoked paprika along with the Mexican chili powder. I also brush with a little butter before adding the mayo and spices, it is a great touch because it intensifies the flavors.
You can leave the husks on or take them off. For grilling I like to take them off so that every kernel can grill and caramelize over the hot coals. I soak the corn in water for ten minutes before grilling because the moisture helps keep it juicy while grilling. If you are roasting your corn in the oven, it is better to leave the husks on.
Ingredients 
4 ears of corn with husks attached
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 tablespoons fresh minced cilantro
4 teaspoons Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional) 
1 fresh lime cut into wedges
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled Cotija cheese

Grill directions: Soak corn for ten minutes. Build a fire on the grill, or if using a gas grill set to medium heat. While the grill is heating, mix the garlic powder and smoked paprika with the mayonnaise. Grate the cheese and place on a plate. Place corn on grill and turn corn periodically until it is charred and cooked all the way through. While the corn is hot, lightly brush it with the melted butter and then slather it with the mayonnaise mixture. and then sprinkle with chili powder and roll over the Cotija cheese and sprinkle with fresh cilantro and if needed sprinkle with a little more chili powder. Serve with fresh lime wedges to squeeze over the corn.
Oven directions:  if you do not have a grill, or just prefer to roast corn in the oven instead of grilling it, preheat your oven to 350 and leave the husks on the corn. Place the corn directly on the rack and roast for 35-45 minutes or until the corn is tender and cooked all the way through. Peel down the husks and follow the instructions above for adding the sauce and seasonings to the corn.

Bon Appetit!







16 comments:

Fede said...

Wow! I would have never pictured mayonnaise on corn. It sounds absolutely fantastic. Thanks for the recipe, I'll have to try it for sure :-)

Covenant Grace said...

I must try this. Mayo? - Interesting. It looks delicious!

LV said...

@Fede
Believe me I never imagined it either, but there aren't words for how good this is

@Trinity Grace
yep, Mayo and it is definitely DELICIOUS!

Unknown said...

Never heard of this flavor of corn. I don't know about the mayo part (lol), but I'll give it a try because it looks so delicious!

LV said...

@Kristin Fuller,

I know the mayo sounds strange, but definitely try the recipe. It will lay your doubts to rest. Think of it like eating crab cakes with remoulade sauce, or all the different flavored aiolis people eat with different food. Aioli is basically flavored mayo. In Germany they dip french fries in it.

Beauty and the Bump said...

OMG I LOVE Mexican corn AKA elotes. As a matter of fact, I have some cotija cheese in my fridge right now and I have limes.

Unknown said...

Great recipe for the summer! I want to try this the next time we have corn!

Unknown said...

Great recipe for the summer! I want to try this the next time we have corn!

Unknown said...

This looks so good! I love roasted corn

K. Elizabeth @ YUMMommy said...

Can't to try this recipe. I don't think that I've ever had Mexican corn, but it looks so yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

Unknown said...

Yeah, so this looks totally amazing! I am definitely going to try!!! Thank you!!

Mimicutelips said...

This looks all kinds of delicious, I love grilled corn. Despite my love for it I never thought to try and make it myself.

Eva from Socamom.com said...

Never in a million years would I have thought to put mayo on corn. My dad makes the best corn on the grill. I'll have to see it he's willing to try it a new way :)

Unknown said...

This looks absolutely delicious!!!! I will be trying this!!

Unknown said...

I first tried Elote at the State Fair and I was hooked. It is so good!

R1se Hluoluo said...

Daftar Masakan Tradisional Indonesia dapat di lihat dengan berbagai jenis makanan yang telah menjadi khas dari aneka kebudayaan Indonesia.

Indonesia terdiri dari 17.000 pulau yang penuh dengan rasa dan cita rasa yang berbeda. https://desakuliner.web.id/ Makanan di Indonesia merupakan perpaduan keanekaragaman hayati lokal dan pengaruh berabad-abad oleh para pedagang dari India, Timur Tengah, dan Asia Timur.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...