Julie Clark
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Mexican Street Corn
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Today we’re talking all about how to make this Mexican Street Corn recipe, or Elotes! One of the best Mexican side dishes, corn on the cob with street corn seasoning, we’ll share tips for getting it on the table quickly.
I have had Mexican street corn in so many different forms…from street corn casserole to creamy street corn dip to Mexican street corn pasta salad. Every single one is good because the corn and street corn seasoning is fantastic. The flavors are versatile enough for so many different recipes, but today we’re talking about the classic version of street corn: with ears of corn.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Reader, Alyssa, says, “Made this as an appetizer for dinner tonight. SO GOOD!! I added one tablespoon of miracle whip just for a little extra tang and used freshly grated parmesan cheese because I couldn’t find the Cotija in my grocery store. 10/10 will be making again soon!!”
What is street corn?
Elotes Mexicanos is the same food as Mexican Street Corn. “Elote” translates to “corn cob”, so it’s obvious how this Mexican favorite got its name. It is also sometimes called “crazy corn”. It’s roasted fresh corn, coated with a mayo/sour cream mixture and then dusted with the street corn seasoning, Tajín, and Cotija cheese.
We had Elotes Mexicanos from a food truck when we visited Mexico over 12 years ago. And since then I’ve loved visiting authentic Mexican restaurants in many different cities and trying it there.
Ingredients
- Mayo. Use mayo, not Miracle Whip.
- Sour cream. Or use a homemade Mexican crema in place of the sour cream.
- Cotija. Cotija is the cheese that is traditionally in this recipe. It has a salty flavor, so really adds to the flavor profile.
- Tajín. If you can find this elote seasoning blend in the store, make a homemade seasoning. It has a chipotle powder and chili lime (along with salt) flavor that you’ll love. You can easily make a bulk batch and store it in an airtight container in your pantry.
How to Make Mexican Street Corn
The first step to making this Mexican corn is to cook the corn.
- Get a large pan and fill it with water. Bring the water to a boil.
- Once the water is boiling, place the shucked corn ears in the water. Cover the pan and turn off the burner. Allow the corn to sit in the water for 10 minutes, then drain off the water. You can also grill corn or oven roast it if you’d like.
- The next step is to brush the corn with a creamy mayo and sour cream combination. For the best flavor, use mayonnaise instead of Miracle Whip. Be as generous or as light with the mayo sauce as you’d like, but cover the whole ear of corn.
- Then you’ll sprinkle with spices. We used Tajín chili powder. This seasoning has a chili lime flavor that you’ll love. Note…it is STRONG. You can put as much on as you’d like…some in our family like a little and some like a lot. And if you don’t have Tajín, use your favorite chili powder (ancho chili powder and chipotle chili powder work great).
- Lastly, sprinkle the corn with Cotija cheese. This is my favorite part because…cheese!
Mexican Street Corn Toppings
When you buy street corn at a restaurant or from a street vendor, it can have many different toppings: sprinkle with lime juice or chopped cilantro….or get crazy and put bacon on top. Yes!!
Serving Ideas
This is a classic side dish that pairs so well with any one of these:
- Salsa Verde Quesadillas
- Roast Beef Enchiladas
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Chicken Tacos
- Steak Fajitas
- Black Beans
- Tortilla chips
Other Mexican Recipes
Mexican Street Corn
Today we're talking all about how to make Mexican Street Corn, AKA Elotes! One of the best Mexican side dishes, we'll share tips for getting it on the table quickly.
Servings 2
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 ears of corn remove husks
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or as desired)
- 2 tablespoons sour cream (or equal parts if you use more mayo)
- 2 teaspoons Tajin seasoning (or more as desired)
- ¼ cup cotija cheese
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot add in about 6 cups of salted water. Bring to a boil and add in corn. Cover the pot, turn off the heat and allow the corn to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Remove corn from the pot allow it to cool, and push a wooden skewer into the corn. 2 ears of corn
- In a small bowl, mix together the mayo and sour cream. Brush the mayonnaise mix generously on the sides of the corn. 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream
- Spoon Tajin seasoning over the corn, then sprinkle cotija cheese on top. 2 teaspoons Tajin seasoning, ¼ cup cotija cheese
- Serve with lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- Push a long wooden skewer into the corn cob so that you can easily hold the corn. Remember…it’s crazy corn and can be messy, so the wooden skewer helps with that.
- You can replace mayonnaise with Greek yogurt for Mexican street corn. It will change the flavor slightly, but if you are used to making that substitution regularly anyway, then you should enjoy it.
- Try adding a dash of cayenne pepper to make the flavorful seasoning spicier.
- Get creative with lime zest, red onion, feta cheese or garlic. Have other ideas? Leave them below so we can try them out!
- Make it in a bowl instead! Esquites is a street food that is all of the ingredients and flavors of street corn on the cob, but the corn kernels are cut off and served in a bowl. It’s easier to eat and much less messy.
Nutrition
Calories: 168kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 307mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Made this for dinner tonight. SO GOOD!! I added one tablespoon of miracle whip just for a little extra tang and used freshly grated parm cheese bc I couldn’t find the Cotija in my grocery store. 10/10 will be making again soon!!
Greetings from Mexico, you should try instead of chili powder with Tajin, which is also the same but a little bit more acid, it really gives the corn a better flavor, toppings can be mayonnaise, yellow cheese ( kind of like nacho cheese) Tajin, red salsa they come in many different brands and ingredients but the best ones have chile ancho and chile guajillo (is kind like a paste) and white cheese (cotija or panela cheese)
We’ve had Mexican street corn before as well as some Mexican street corn salad (also good). I had never made it before, so I tried your recipe. It was so good! We didn’t have Tajin seasoning so I used chili powder which I had seen on other recipes. I want to get some for next time though as its ingredients sound good!