Mexican Street Corn (Elote Recipe)
Posted November 7, 2023 by: Admin
Mexican Street Corn, also known as “Elote,” is a delectable treat covered in a tangy and spicy crema sauce, then generously topped with crumbled cotija cheese. One bite is all it takes to understand why Mexican grilled corn on the cob is so beloved.
The flavor profile of this Mexican corn is reminiscent of the sauce used in our famous Fish Tacos. Prepare this Elote corn for your next gathering, and you’ll undoubtedly receive requests for the recipe.
What is an Elote?
Elote, pronounced as ‘ee-low-tay,’ is a side dish featuring sweet grilled corn on the cob, smothered in a luscious blend of crema (or sour cream), mayonnaise, and various spices. The combination of sweet, slightly charred corn with the zesty sauce is irresistibly delightful.
Elote is a popular street food often enjoyed during Mexican festivals, particularly Cinco de Mayo, which is why it’s aptly named Mexican Street Corn.
How to Cook Corn for Elote?
You can prepare the corn using your preferred method, whether it’s simple Boiled Corn on the Cob or Instant Pot Corn on the Cob. During the grilling season, we especially enjoy making Grilled Corn in Foil, which imparts a delightful smoky flavor.
How to Make Grilled Mexican Street Corn:
Creating Mexican Street corn is a straightforward process. It involves cooking the corn and then dressing it with the sauce, cheese, and cilantro. Here’s how:
- Grill Corn: Wrap the corn in foil, ensuring it’s covered entirely. Double wrapping is recommended for campfire grilling. Check our comprehensive grilling corn in foil tutorial.
- Partially Unwrap: After grilling, let the corn rest inside the foil for 10 minutes. Then peel back the foil to expose most of the corn while keeping the foil underneath to serve as a holder, preventing sauce from getting on your hands.
3. Make Sauce: In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients. Then, generously smother the corn with the sauce and sprinkle it with chili powder, a generous amount of cotija cheese, and chopped cilantro for serving.
How to Enjoy Mexican Street Corn
There’s no tidy way to eat Mexican street corn, though the foil wrapper helps contain the mess. Expect to get a bit messy, but rest assured that everyone else around you will be in the same saucy situation. It’s absolutely worth it! Alternatively, you can skewer it, as demonstrated in our Boiled Corn on the Cob recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the delectable corn directly from the foil ‘boats’ used for grilling to keep your hands clean, and your guests will appreciate it. Mexican corn is a perfect side dish and pairs exceptionally well with:
Why Grill Corn in Foil?
This recipe goes from the grill to the table using the same foil, making it incredibly convenient. Here’s why we love it:
- Make-ahead – you can pre-wrap the corn in advance and refrigerate it until ready to use
- No pre-soaking or waiting required, simply wrap and grill the corn
- Great for any kind of grill – gas, charcoal, wood, or smoker, and you can even double wrap it for campfire grilling
- Even cooking – the foil protects the corn over direct heat, ensuring even cooking without burning
- Serve in Foil – keeping hands clean while savoring saucy Mexican corn
- Easy clean-up – no mess and no dishes to wash
Grilling Safety Tip: When removing foil-wrapped corn from the grill, use tongs and be extremely cautious when opening, as the packet and the steam inside will be extremely hot.
- Shuck the corn and wrap it in a single layer of heavy-duty foil to fully enclose the corn, then grill the corn in the foil.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayo, cilantro, minced garlic, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice. Stir to blend and set aside.
- Partially unwrap the corn to cool for a few minutes before applying the sauce. Keep the foil under the corn to use for serving.
- Using a basting brush, generously brush on the sauce and sprinkle with cotija cheese. Garnish with chili powder and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
