Mexican Street Corn (2024)

FAQs

Why is Mexican street corn so good? ›

Elote Ingredients and How Street Corn is Made

It's typically grilled until charred, which brings out the sweetness and adds a smoky flavor. Mayonnaise: This is slathered on the grilled corn to add creaminess. Some variations might use Mexican crema instead, which is slightly tangier than mayonnaise.

This easy grilled corn on the cob is the best way to make corn! Topped with an Old Bay mayo to balance out the sweetness and add some creaminess – it makes the perfect side dish for summer that everyone will love!

Elote (pronounced: eh-loh-teh) is a dish comprised of cooked sweet corn slathered in a spicy mixture of mayonnaise, crema, and chili powder, and then sprinkled with cheese.

What Is Elote? Also called Mexican street corn, elote is a Mexican preparation of corn on the cob. The ears of corn are grilled, then slathered with mayo or crema, and finally topped with lime, chile, and Mexican cheese such as Cotija.

If you are vehemently opposed to mayonnaise, you may substitute with sour cream, but it has a tendency to slip off the corn easier. I don't recommend swapping it with Mexican crema as crema is thinner than both mayonnaise and sour cream.

A bold and versatile seasoning blend, our Elote Seasoning blend is filled with chili pepper, cumin, lime, parmesan cheese and garlic. Just as versatile as our Everything Bagel blend, this shaker is delicious on everything from elote street corn on the cob and scrambled eggs to popcorn and even BBQ pork ribs.

Brown sugar will add a hint of molasses flavor to corn, while granulated sugar gives a pure, sweet taste. When done, sprinkle liberally with salt and butter for the perfect salty sweet side dish.

Boiling corn on the cob brings out its natural sweetness. But if you want an even juicier and sweeter crisp-tender bite, swap out some of the water for milk. The milk enhances the flavor and texture. It also infuses the corn on the cob with milk and butter, resulting in salty, buttery kernels.

The thinking behind soaking unhusked corn before grilling is that it will prevent the husks from burning.

Despite all their differences, you can absolutely substitute one for the other. Both add a welcome creamy element to food, but cotija tends to be more easily found in stores. Keep in mind that cotija will be a bit saltier than queso, so depending on the application of the cheese or your taste, you may want to use less.

What cheese can you use for elote? ›

Elote, or Mexican corn on the cob, is a popular street food in Mexico (that's why it's also known as Mexican street corn). Corn on the cob is charred on the grill, slathered with butter and mayonnaise, and finished with salty Cotija cheese.

A lot of recipes for this corn use Mexican Crema instead of mayo/sour cream and traditionally use cojita cheese in place of my twist of queso fresco. I prefer the consistency that mayo provides as the base and the cheese is basically chef's choice.

So, what's the difference between the two dishes? Well, it all comes down to the corn: elote is corn on the cob, while esquites is served in a bowl or cup. Esquites can also sometimes include additional ingredients that turn the dish into more of a salad instead of remaining 100% corn-focused.

Kewpie mayo is a Japanese brand of mayonnaise known for its umami-rich, tangy-sweet flavor profile. Compared to American mayonnaise, which uses the whole egg, Kewpie mayo is made with only egg yolks, giving it an exceptionally lush, smooth texture and a deeper yellow color.

While the origin of corn is still questioned amongst researchers, archaeological evidence suggests that the domestication of corn originated in what is now the south-central region of Mexico. Corn has historically been highly respected and valued as an important crop for the people of this region.

The taste is different. Corn was domesticated right here in Mexico. For thousands of years, farmers here carefully mixed varieties of maize in small plots of land. But globalization made American yellow corn more common because it's so cheap.

Mexico's proposed ban on genetically modified (GMO) corn, set to take effect in 2024, aims to phase out imports of GMO corn used primarily for human consumption. The ban has raised significant concerns within the U.S. agricultural sector, given that Mexico is one of the largest importers of American corn.

What Is Street Corn. Also referred to as Mexican elote, Mexican food corn, street corn, or Mexicorn on the cob, essentially it is corn on the cob smothered with a sauce made by using a mayo-sour cream mixture and sprinkling it with cotija cheese and fresh chopped cilantro.