Name: Elote — Mexican Street Corn
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 4 corn cobs, husks removed; 4 tbsp mayonnaise; 3 tbsp Mexican crema or soured cream; 80 g cotija cheese, finely crumbled; 1 tsp chilli powder or Tajín; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 2 limes, cut into wedges; 1 small bunch coriander, finely chopped; ½ tsp fine sea salt; 4 wooden skewers

Elote — Mexican Street Corn

Charred corn slathered in crema and mayonnaise, rolled in salty cotija and dusted with chilli and lime. It is the best thing sold on a Mexican street corner, and it takes fifteen minutes at home.

25 min total Serves 4 servings Easy

Storing and Planning Ahead

Eat hot. Cut leftover kernels off the cob and stir into rice or salad the next day.

Making Elote — Mexican Street Corn

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Heat a griddle pan or barbecue until very hot. Grill the corn dry, turning every 2 minutes, for 10 to 12 minutes until charred in patches all over and the kernels are tender and glossy.
Meanwhile mix the mayonnaise, crema and salt in a shallow dish.
Push a skewer into the base of each hot cob for a handle.
Brush or roll each cob generously in the crema mixture while still hot, so it clings and softens slightly.
Roll immediately in the crumbled cotija, pressing gently so it sticks.
Dust with chilli powder and smoked paprika, scatter with coriander, and serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

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Worth Knowing

Do not boil the corn first. Dry grilling from raw concentrates the sugars; boiling washes them out.
No cotija? Finely grated Pecorino or a dry feta are the closest substitutes.
For esquites, cut the charred kernels off the cob and stir everything together in a cup.

Some Background

Grilling corn dry, without foil or butter, lets the surface sugars caramelise and some kernels blister, which develops the toasty flavour the creamy coating then hangs on to. Cotija is a dry, salty aged cheese that clings to the mayonnaise rather than melting, giving elote its signature crumbly crust.

Good Alongside

A michelada or a cold lager · Serve alongside tacos al pastor or carnitas · Follow with mango and chilli

Common Substitutions & Variations

Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.