Photos by House of Stills
I fell in love with Mexican grilled corn, or elote, about ten years ago on a trip to New York City with my mom, at La Esquina. There’s just something about the mix of the corn and the cheese with the spices that is just an explosion of flavour in your mouth. I continued to go back to that restaurant for years, if only for the corn!
I love any and all Mexican food. My family used to spend every single Christmas Holiday in Acapulco Mexico for almost 20 years of my life and I miss it so. Some of my most cherished memories in life happened on those vacations, so there’s just something about Mexican food that is both nostalgic and comforting to me.
Enough with the sob story… This corn recipe is my homemade take on elote, considering that some of the more traditional ingredients that you would use to make it are not so readily available at your local grocery store. I improvised so that you can make it easily, without compromising the crux of the flavour.
It’s a fantastic side dish that can be served either on the cob, or shave the kernels to turn it into a salad! Perfect summer dish and also great for a potluck! Delish!
Enjoy! XX
Mexican Grilled Corn (Elote)
Ingredients
- 6 Ears of corn husked
- 1/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 Small bunch of cilantro finely chopped & optional
- 1 tbsp Lime juice
- 2 tsp Chili powder
- 2 tsp Cayenne powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Crumbled Cotija cheese or parmigiano cheese
Instructions
- Heat up your grill, or grill pan.
- In a small bowl, make the sauce by whisking together the mayonnaise, crema (or sour cream), chopped cilantro, and lime juice.
- In a smaller bowl, mix together the cayenne pepper and chili powder
- Grill the corn directly on the grates without moving, until kernels start to turn brown and charred (about 2-3 mins) – repeat this process until all sides are grilled (about 10 mins).
- Once grilled, using a pastry brush, brush the sauce onto each husk. Sprinkle on the cayenne and chili mix and top with the crumbled cheese.
- You can serve these husks whole, or you can cut the kernels off the cob, mix together with some of the sauce and serve as aside dish or salad.
