It's Farmer's Market season around here and that means an abundance of Olathe Sweet Corn. While I love the simplicity of corn on the cob with a little butter, salt, and pepper, it's nice to switch it up a bit. Elotes, or Mexican Street Corn, combines the already delicious flavor of grilled sweet corn with zesty lime, funky cotija cheese, and smoky ancho chili.
I prefer using ancho chili powder instead of regular chili powder for Mexican dishes because you can really taste the chile flavor. Ancho chili powder is made solely using dried poblanos while chili powder is typically a blend of several chilis and other spices such as cumin, onion and garlic. These spices certainly have their place as well, but I like to make the decision of how much of them to use.
I love to add bright flavor from citrus zest in so many recipes. I would be lost without my Microplane. From effortlessly zesting citrus, to grating ginger, finely shredding cheese, and everything in between, this gadget has you covered! I've had mine for at least 8 years and it's still just as sharp as it was the day I bought it.
I've always said that if I had to choose 1 cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, I would choose Mexican food. Hands down. And if I had to choose one Mexican side dish, I would definitely choose elotes. I'm a big fan of bold flavors, and this corn doesn't mess around. Adding bright flavors to the humble corn cob creates a mouthwatering combination that will make you wonder why you ever ate corn any other way. Seriously - I ate this corn yesterday and my mouth is watering thinking about having it again.
Grilling the corn adds a roasted flavor and concentrates the corn's natural sweetness. The bright lime flavor, salty cheese, and creamy sauce are the perfect compliment to the ultra-sweet corn. Enjoy elotes on your next grilling night!
Sweet Corn Elotes (Mexican Street Corn)
Ingredients
- 6 ears sweet corn
- oil, for brushing
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ½ cup cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Shuck the corn but don't break the stalks off the ends. These will serve as handles for grilling and eating.
- Brush the corn with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Stir together mayo, sour cream, lime zest and juice, cotija cheese, cilantro, and chili powder.
- Preheat grill to 400°F. Grill corn until charred on all sides, rotating multiple times, approximately 10 minutes.
- Take corn off the grill and brush each corn cob with the sauce. This can get a little messy but don't worry, you'll get messy eating it anyways. Sprinkle with cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Nutrition
P.S. I always treat corn as a starch and serve another vegetable with it. That's why you'll find it under the "Grains" category.
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