Mexican Street Corn (Elote)
Fresh corn grilled until charred and tender, brushed while hot with a lime, mayonnaise and crema sauce, rolled in cotija and dusted with ground chile. With grill-free methods and an esquites variation.
Ingredients
Corn
- 6 ears fresh sweet corn, husks on
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil
Sauce
- 60 g (¼ cup) mayonnaise
- 60 g (¼ cup) Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 tsp finely grated lime zest
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ small garlic clove, finely grated (optional)
Toppings
- 75 g (2 ½ oz) cotija cheese, finely crumbled (about ⅔ cup)
- 1–2 tsp ground ancho or guajillo chile, or Tajín
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or ground chile de árbol (optional)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Heat a grill to medium-high, about 200–230°C (400–450°F), and clean and oil the grates.
- Shuck the corn and remove the silk, keeping the husks tied back as a handle if you like. Rub the cobs lightly with oil.
- Stir together the mayonnaise, crema, lime zest and juice, salt and garlic. Spread the cotija on a plate.
- Grill the corn over direct heat for 10–12 minutes, turning every 2–3 minutes, until tender and charred in patches.
- While hot, brush each cob with a thin, even layer of sauce.
- Roll or sprinkle with cotija, pressing it on.
- Dust with ground chile and cayenne, scatter with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- No grill: roast oiled cobs at 230°C (450°F) for 18–20 minutes, or cook under a hot grill (broiler) or in a dry cast-iron pan for 12–15 minutes, turning often. For the juiciest corn, boil shucked cobs for 4–5 minutes first, then char.
- Esquites: cook about 600 g (4 cups) kernels in 1 tbsp each butter and oil with ¼ chopped white onion and 1 jalapeño over high heat for 6–8 minutes, then toss with the sauce, cotija and cilantro.
- Use pure ground chile rather than American chili powder blend. Tajín is salty, so taste before adding salt.
- Make ahead: sauce up to 3 days in the fridge; grill corn up to 2 hours ahead and rewarm before dressing. Leftovers: fridge up to 2 days.