Recipe: Quick & easy grilled Mexican street corn | Elote

The place I enjoyed eating at the most during this trip to Dallas was Madrina, and sadly, the restaurant has since closed.Regardless, I’m paying tribute to Madrina’s excellent Mexican fare with this recipe for elote, or grilled Mexican street corn. I served elote as a side dish to my Korean Wagyu beef taco at my recent pop-up with Ozone in Hong Kong, and it was a hit, especially with the bar’s head chef (who happens to be Brazilian).This colorful dish celebrates summer’s bounty; full of flavor yet well-balanced, there’s saltiness and umami from the cotija cheese, heat from the chili and onion, acidity from the lime juice, and sweetness from the corn itself. I absolutely love corn, especially when prepared in this simple style reminiscent of Mexico City streets. Elote, along with refried beans, are my go-to dishes whenever I cook beef fajitas or tacos. It’s super delicious and simple—I guarantee it’ll be a hit at both your weeknight family table and summer picnic potluck.

Recipe: Grilled Mexican Street Corn | Elote

Notes: Crema and cotija cheese are typical Mexican ingredients—you can find them at your local international market or even in the aisles of most standard supermarkets these days. I offered substitutions in case you can’t source crema or cotija; the flavors will still be good, but you can’t really call it elote at that point.

Ingredients

• 4 ears corn

Sauce:

• 1/4 c mayonnaise
• 1/4 c Mexican crema or sour cream
• 1/2 c grated cotija or feta cheese
• 1/2 tsp chili powder (e.g. Ancho or guajillo)
• 1/4 tsp ground paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 stalk scallion, finely chopped, or 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 c chopped cilantro

Garnish:

• 1 lime, quartered

Instructions

1. Cook corn by grilling: Preheat grill to medium-high heat, approx 425°F. Shuck corn and grill until slightly charred, approx 8m, rotating occasionally.
2. Cook corn by roasting: Preheat oven to 425°F. Roast corn in husks until cooked through, approx 25m, rotating occasionally. Remove husks and discard. Broil corn until charred, approx 5 to 10m more.
3. Make sauce: In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise, crema, cotija, chili powder, paprika, cayenne, scallion, and cilantro; season with salt. Let stand 15m.
4. Coat corn in sauce and serve with lime wedges.

Active time: 30m
Total time: 35m
Yields: 4 ears