Mexico · Side · Easy
Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
Rome's most famous pasta. Silky egg and Pecorino sauce clinging to every strand, studded with crisp guanciale. No cream, ever.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Elote (Mexican Street Corn), in 5 ideas
- Cotija has no substitute. It is dry, salty, and crumbly. Parmesan works in a pinch but will not taste the same.
- Mayo goes on hot corn. Cold corn will not melt it, and you will get glops instead of a smooth coat.
- Esquites is the off-the-cob version. Cut the kernels off, toss with everything in a cup. Same flavors, easier to eat walking around.
- Butter works too. Some vendors use butter instead of mayo. Try both and pick your side.
- Keep the husk as a handle. If your corn comes with husks, peel them back but leave them attached. Instant grip.
What you need
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn, husks and silk removed
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese
- 1 tsp chili powder, plus more for dusting
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
- Salt, to taste
How to make it
Directions
- Heat a grill to high, or set a gas burner to high flame. You want real char, not gentle cooking.
- Place the corn directly on the grates or over the flame. Turn every 2 minutes until blackened in spots all over, about 8 to 10 minutes total.
- While the corn is hot, brush each ear generously with mayonnaise. The heat melts it into a creamy coat.
- Roll each ear in the crumbled cotija, pressing lightly so it sticks to the mayo.
- Dust with chili powder and a pinch of salt. Shower with cilantro.
- Serve immediately with lime wedges. Squeeze generously over each ear right before eating.
Char is flavor, not burning. Those blackened spots are caramelized sugars. If your corn is just yellow and steamed, turn up the heat and give it more time.