Let’s Cook Mexican Street Corn, a.k.a. Elote

I love corn on the cob! With this recipe, I discovered a new way to give corn-on-the-cob a little “pizzaz.” “Mexican Street Corn” (or Elote – meaning corn on the cob) is a popular food in Mexico. I had never heard of the dish, but my family assured me that it is delicious. To make Mexican Street Corn, fresh corn is roasted or grilled on an outdoor grill imparting a smoky flavor. Then, a dressing consisting mayonnaise and sour cream or crema is spread on the grilled corn. The corn is garnished with cotija cheese, chili powder, lime juice and cilantro. Quite a dish! For my version, I simplified things a bit for my family’s tastes and learned about several new Mexican foods. Let’s give it a try.

I am spending several months in Texas where grocery stores stock plenty of Mexican food ingredients. I was easy to find the things I needed to make “Mexican Street Corn.” Not the treasure hunt shopping trip which I often encounter in Baton Rouge.

Here are the ingredients for my dish. I learned about several Mexican new foods:

**Crema Mexicana is the Mexican version of sour cream. It is a cultured milk or cream product.. However, it is not cultured as long as sour cream. Hence, it is tangy and mildly sweet; thinner than sour cream and pourable. The shelf life is shorter than sour cream.

**Cotija is a semi-hard crumbly cheese from Mexico. It has a strong, salty flavor and is made with cow’s milk. It is typically sold as a block of cheese. However, I found grated cheese (similar to parmesan cheese) and purchased this instead of a block.

 **Tijin seasoning is a popular Mexican seasoning. It consists of dried and ground chili peppers, dehydrated lime juice and sea salt. Surprisingly, it was very mild in flavor. I found the seasoning to be very smoky. Other family members noticed the lime flavor. In any event, if was great. We loved it.

Making the recipe

To make the recipe, use as many ears of corn-on-the-cob as you like. Either shuck the ears completely, or pull back the husks and leave them intact as a “handle.” In this case, soak the husks in water so they don’t burn on the grill.

Generously brush oil on the ears of corn.

Heat an outdoor grill to 425 degrees. This family has a gas Weber grill which worked perfectly for the corn on the cob recipe. Grilling the corn imparted a smoky flavor to the corn.

Roast the corn for about 20 minutes, turning several times, until it begins to char and is cooked throughout.

If you don’t have an outdoor grill, it also works to set the corn on a grate on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until cooked throughout.

Sauce for “Mexican Street Corn“

We deviated from the traditional sauce used for “Mexican Street Corn.” Mayonnaise is often a key ingredient in the sauce. It is mixed with Mexicana crema to make the sauce. We omitted the mayonnaise. Instead, we mixed crema, grated cotija cheese and lime juice to make the sauce. We also omitted cilantro — this herb is often included in Mexican street corn recipes. Here’s the “sauce.”

We passed the “sauce” and let each person spread on as much of the cheese mixture as they desired. We passed tijan seasoning to sprinkle on, too.

Needless to say, the corn was delicious. There were no leftovers! Although my recipe deviates from the traditional Mexican Street Corn, my corn was still tasty. Now I have a great new recipe for corn-on-the-cob. Just in time for the July 4th holiday.

And, I learned about several interesting Mexican ingredients. The spice blend, Tajin, is mild, yet added a great flavor to the corn. It was the “surprise” of this recipe. Now, I’ll be looking for more uses for this ingredient to add flavor to foods.