I finally got around to making street corn – at least my take on the classic Mexican dish. Corn has always been the foundation of Mexican cuisine starting with tortillas and goes back to the Aztecs. Mexican Street Corn originated in Mexico City as a late night treat, called “Elotes”, meaning “corn cob”. Another variation served on the streets is “Esquites”, grilled corn off the cob (cooked in chicken broth” flavored with epizote, an herb that smells a little like gasoline. Not sure that’s an herb I want to try. Most Street Corn recipes include Queso Fresca or Cotija cheese. I didn’t have either in the house and decided against including any other cheese. Maybe next time.
It’s summer in the South USA and the stores are brimming with lots of summer vegetables, including fresh corn. The Man is a died-in-the-wool corn-on-the-cob guy and even though he ate my version of Street Corn, I can’t say he liked it. His response was polite and political, “I still like corn-on-the-cob better”. He never complains about my cooking, even when I have clearly missed the mark with a recipe. He is grateful to have someone who can make more than tuna salad, PB&J sandies, cereal and hot dogs.
Recently I have fixed Street Corn twice and below is the first way I prepared it. Because the cast iron skillet didn’t char well, I also boiled the corn (still on the cob) for a few minutes. The second time, I broiled the corn using my Emeril Air Fryer and then charred it on a stainless steel griddle/grill (from Neiman Marcus that I gave to my mom back in the day). The SS grill charred perfectly and is my choice going forward. Both preparations are winners and Street Corn will be a regular around The Manse through the corn season. I imagine it would work well with frozen corn when fresh is not available.
To season the corn while grilling, I made an herbed butter using Unsalted Cultured Butter courtesy of Vermont Creamery. My recipe for herbed will be posted at a later date in another article I am currently writing. (If you don’t want to take the time to create your own herbed butter, there are several options available at my amazon influencer storefront to assist you.)
Here’s what I did.:
Ingredients:
3 ears of corn
1/2 Medium Onion – Diced
1/2 Green Bell Pepper – Diced
Fresh Parsley – Chopped (Most recipes use cilantro, which tastes like soap to my – therefore, I use parsley)
1 large Dollop of Mayo – we only use Duke’s here in the South (Many recipes also include sour cream which I don’t like)
Juice of two fresh limes at room temperature, a trick I learned from Ina Garten – citrus at room temperature give more juice.
Ground cumin
Paprika (for color)
MSG – adds umami flavor profile – I use MSG in most savory dishes – IMO, MSG gets a bad rap
Salt and Black Pepperto taste
Preparation:
Pre-heat grill or cast iron grill pan (which is what I used)
Shuck corn and wash to remove all the silk.
Grill corn until done. Because I used cast iron griddle, I wasn’t sure cooked through so I threw in hot water for a few minutes after grilling.
Let corn cool or run under cold water till cool.
Remove from cob.
Toss corn with other ingredients and adjust to your taste.
Chill before serving.
Servings: 2 – It’s just The Man and me… most recipes I make are for 2.
If you don’t have time to make this recipe, there are frozen choices at my amazon influencer storefront and Beecher’s Handmade Cheese makes Street Corn which they will ship to you.
In addition to being a member of the Internationale Guilde des Fromagers (Jura and Garde) and an American Cheese Society Certified Cheese Professional, I am a Certified ServSafe Food Production Manager. I am available for cheese events, cheese program development, cheese training, food safety training and 3rd party food safety auditing. See my About Me and Resume pages for more details or call me at 360 921 9908 to discuss availability.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Marcella The Cheesemonger LLC is a
participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Influencer Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising 
fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through my link, at no additional cost to you. This income helps pay for the operating costs of my website – thank you for your support!
My friend and Cheese Colleague, Babs Hogan aka The Healthy Cheese Lady has created her first “Cheesy” T-Shirt in a new line of clothing. The T-Shirt is only $20 and you can order it here. Everyone needs this T-Shirt because it’s true: “Cheese Makes Me Happy”.
Follow me on:
You must be logged in to post a comment.