We grew up on a quiet, country road. Our house marked the midway point from the bus stop to Martha’s house. On any given day, if her kids weren’t at my house, my mom’s kids were at hers.

We introduced Martha to chocolate gravy, baked beans, and snow ice cream. Martha introduced us to chorizo, homemade tortillas, and tamales.

Martha was very much like a second mom. She had no problem putting us to work or yelling at us if we got too loud and disturbed Mr. John’s nap.

And then I caught that crazy woman putting mayonnaise (MAYONNAISE!) on my corn-on-the-cob and I thought I’d never be able to trust another human again.

Mexican Grilled Corn, or, you know, “corn,” as Martha & Mr. John called it, is a thing of wonder. Sure, you could say the right sweet corn cob needs nothing more than a pat of butter… but you’d really be missing out.

Local taco trucks sell it and advertise it simply as Elote (corn). And what you’re getting for $2 is simply fantastic.

The corn cobs are grilled until lightly charred, brushed lightly with mayonnaise, and then topped with a dusting of chile powder, a squeeze of lime juice, and crumbled Mexican cheese (queso fresco or cotija). The heat from the grill melts the mayo and cheese while the lime cuts the richness and the chiles gives it the perfect bite.

Print

Elote

Corn on the cob is grilled, brushed with mayo, and topped with chile powder, goat cheese, and lime.

Ingredients

• Corn cobs
• Mayonnaise
• Chile powder (chipotle is my favorite)
• Crumbled goat cheese (cotija and queso fresco are traditional)
• Lime wedges

Instructions

1. Preheat your grill to medium-high.
2. Leaving the stalk attached, remove all but the single, very inner-most layer of corn husk and discard.
3. Run cobs under water and then put directly on the grill.
4. Cook ~5 minutes at a time, rotating to lightly char all kernels.
5. Remove any husk/silk that didn't burn away on the grill.
6. While the corn is still hot, coat each with 1-2 tsp of mayo. I do this by putting the mayo on a paper towel and rubbing it over the corn.
7. Sprinkle with chile powder and cheese.
8. Squeeze lime wedges over top and serve warm.

Notes

Yields: Servings vary

Source: Confections of a Foodie Bride

Estimated time: 30 minutes