Mexican Street Corn Esquites
This street corn recipe is for esquites, the popular Mexican corn salad served in a cup and also known as elote en vaso. It is one of Mexico's most popular street food offerings. The most delicious version is with fire roasted corn and jalapenos but there are many other options.
Print
Pin
Ingredients
- 5 ears of corn on the cob fresh*
- 2-3 fresh jalapenos to taste
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise or a bit less to taste**
- 1 cup Cotija cheese crumbled, or to taste
- 3-4 green onions
- 1 lime juice of (or to taste, lime slices for garnish optional)
- ½ tablespoon Tajin seasoning or chile powder or to taste
- 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Husk the corn and remove the silk. Grill over a medium-hot grill until charred, then slice off the cob and collect kernels in a large bowl. If desired you can also grill the fresh jalapenos.***
- To the corn kernels add the diced jalapenos, the crumbled cotija cheese (reserve some for garnish), the mayonnaise, the finely sliced green onion, cilantro (reserve some for garnish), Tajin seasoning and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix until all ingredients are combined.
- Plate the street corn as a salad in a large dish and garnish with extra cilantro, some cotija crumbles and lime slices and a pinch of Tajin. Alternatively, spoon the mixture into small cups to serve as individual esquites, similarly garnished.
Notes
* you can also use about 2 cans of sweet corn, drained
** substitute with sour cream or Mexican crema or use a combination of mayo and sour cream
***you can also make the corn base in one of these ways:
- slice off kernels and saute them with a bit of butter in a medium-high hot pan (you can add the diced jalapeños);
- slice off kernels and roast them in the oven at 450 F over a parchment paper lined baking sheet, tossed with a bit of cooking oil (you can add the diced jalapeños) see this roasted corn salsa method for illustration;
- drain two cans of cooked sweet corn, saute them in butter over medium-high pan, briefly as they are already cooked
