Years ago, a friend of mine asked if I could bring elote to a big barbecue she was having and I replied with a hearty, “Sure!” knowing full well that not only did I not know how to make it, but I wasn’t even sure what it was to be honest. Thankfully, I am a dedicated researcher, so I reached out to a few friends, gathered a few recipes and created my inaugural elote recipe.
I don’t remember exactly what my initial recipe called for, but the one we are making today has been honed and perfected over the past 10 years and in my most humble of opinions… it is currently perfect. In fact, when I make it at home I have limited myself to only making 4 ears (2 for me and 2 for my husband), because if I make any more, I will eat it… all of it… regardless of how many ears I have already consumed. If there is more elote on the plate, I will eat it. It’s that good.
Whether you are an elote lover or curious about trying it, you are going to be so glad that you made this.
Let’s get started…
Step one is to prep the corn.
Remove the stalks and any silks left behind. Rub the cobs with softened butter and place them onto a baking sheet.
Set your oven to high broil and broil the corn, turning them every couple of minutes until they are blistered all over.
This is the kind of blistering we are looking for. It brings out the best flavor in the corn and there is no need to boil it. The corn is super tender once it has been fully blistered.
While the corn is broiling, combine 1/3 cup of Mexican crema, 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/8 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder, 1/8 teaspoon of Tajín seasoning (optional, but highly recommended), 1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest, the juice from half of a lime, a tablespoon of crumbled cojita and a tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro.
This is what we are going to brush all over the blistered corn…
Right before serving, brush the crema mixture all over the corn and then sprinkle a little more crumbled cojita over the top.
Note: If you are making this to take somewhere, keep the sauce separate and brush the corn right before you serve it.
Anytime I look at pics of elote, I get hungry and I don’t know if it is really that inviting to look at or if I am just connecting how delicious I know it is with the image. Long story short – if you are on the fence about trying it… do it! You will be so glad that you made this. I promise.
Elote - Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
- 6 fresh ears of corn, shucked and cleaned
- 2 tablespoons of butter, softened
Mexican Crema Sauce
- 1/3 cup of Mexican crema
- 1/3 cup of mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/8 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder
- 1/8 teaspoon of tajin seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of fresh lime zest
- the juice from half of a lime
- 1 tablespoon of cojita, crumbled
- 1 tablespoon of cilantro, finely chopped
Garnishes
- cojita, cumbled
- lime zest
- chili powder
- tajin seasoning
Instructions
- Set your oven to high broil
- Place shucked, cleaned ears of corn onto a flat baking sheet and brush them with softened butter
- Broil, turning occasionally, until the corn is blistered on all sides
- Whisk all of the sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix until fully combined
- Using a silicone or pastry brush, paint the sauce over each ear of corn
- Garnish with additional crumbled cojita, lime zest, chili powder and tajin seasoning
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