A great summer dish when sweet corn is at its peak, these elotes - spicy cheesy grilled corn - will be eaten with gusto. They are a tasty side for any barbecue.
A couple of summers ago, my favorite now-shuttered (RIP) food magazine, delicious. published a recipe for elotes which looked gorgeous! The creative team had pulled back the husks on whole ears of corn and braided them to use as handles while grilling – and for eating!
I thought that was one of the cleverest things I’d seen in a very long time so you know I had to try it. The problem is, in Jersey, here in the Channel Islands, I had never seen corn on the cob still in the husk. It always arrived in our shops fully denuded.
BUT, we took a trip to the mainland to visit friends and do some shopping and by some miracle, we came across a farmer’s market in London one Sunday and woo hoo! There was sweetcorn. Unshucked! It wasn’t cheap but, at that point, I didn’t care.
I bought four, brought them home in the car on the ferry and made this dish for the first time. We ate the elotes with grilled local octopus and it was wonderful.
The very next summer, I finally found whole, intact ears of corn at a farm shop on the east side of the Island (we live in the west side) so I was delighted to make this again! Between the first and second time, I had managed to procured some Tajín, which added more flavorful elements to the finished dish. We enjoyed it with grilled duck breast.
Hey, when you have the coals lit already, why not make full use of them? It just makes sense and my husband, the master griller, is always willing to do the needful.
Elotes – Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn
If you can’t find Mexican crema, you can substitute plain Greek yogurt like I did or use sour cream. This recipe is adapted from an old one on Serious Eats.
Ingredients
½ cup or 110g finely crumbled Cotija or feta cheese
¼ cup or 60ml mayonnaise
¼ cup or 60ml Mexican crema or plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
½ teaspoon cayenne
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 clove garlic, finely grated
4 ears corn on the cob with husks intact
To sprinkle on:
Tajín OR more cayenne and smoked paprika
Method
Combine ½ of the cheese, mayonnaise, crema or yogurt, cilantro, cayenne, smoked paprika and garlic in a large bowl. Stir until homogeneous and set aside.
Steam the whole cobs, husks on, for five minutes. Gently pull the husks back and remove the silk. Braid the husks and secure the ends with string, if necessary.
Cover the braided husks with aluminum foil.
Light a chimney fire starter full of charcoal. This is the one we have. It’s a Weber. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour it out and spread the coals evenly over the coal grate.
Place the corn directly over the hot coals and cook, rotating occasionally, until the ears are a little charred in spots on all sides.
Place the ears on a plate or cutting board and remove the foil.
Coat the corn with the cheese mixture, then sprinkle on the reserved cheese and some Tajín. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with corn. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the corny links below.
- All the Summer's Darlings Salad from Culinary Cam
- Cachapas - Venezuelan Corn Pancakes from Mayuri's Jikoni
- Corn Patties / Corn Potato Chops from Sneha's Recipe
- Elotes - Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn from Food Lust People Love
- Fresh Corn Relish Salad from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
- Roasted Corn and Sweet Pepper Chopped Salad with Tomatoes, Black Beans, and Summer Squash from Karen's Kitchen Stories
- Smoked Paprika Cornbread Croutons from Amy's Cooking Adventures
- Southwestern Corn Salad with Chives from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Succotash Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.
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