Elotes (Grilled Mexican Street Corn) Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is a good substitute for mayonnaise in elote? ›

I love the flavor of 100% mayo on elote, but if you prefer, you can sub Mexican crema or sour cream for some or all of it. Fresh lime juice and zest – For brightness. Chili powder or ancho chile powder – It adds smoky flavor and a little heat.

Elote, commonly called Mexican Street Corn, is grilled corn smothered in a creamy mayo sauce and topped with chili powder, cheese and lime. Serve it as a snack or side dish for summer BBQ's and potlucks.

Grilling shucked ears of corn directly over very hot coals brings out the corn's nutty flavor and chars the kernels slightly. A blend of garlic, cilantro, chile powder, mayo, and Cotija cheese in the sauce, plus a final squeeze of lime, makes the corn sweet, salty, savory, nutty, creamy, and tart all at once.

The classic seasoning for elote is chili powder, but we have also found that we love it with smoked paprika. So maybe do a few cobs with each and see which one you prefer. You can sprinkle them on the corn with the cotija cheese and then squeeze fresh lime juice all over each corn on the cob.

Feta cheese, Quesco fresco and Goat cheese crumbles are the top 3 cotija cheese substitute. Romano cheese is also a good replacement.

A bold and versatile seasoning blend, our Elote Seasoning blend is filled with chili pepper, cumin, lime, parmesan cheese and garlic. Just as versatile as our Everything Bagel blend, this shaker is delicious on everything from elote street corn on the cob and scrambled eggs to popcorn and even BBQ pork ribs.

Parmigiano-Reggiano

It's no surprise that these cheeses are so similar; Cotija goes by the nickname of the "Parmesan of Mexico." Parmesan is traditionally made with unpasteurized cow's milk, just like Cotija cheese. Use this classic Italian ingredient as a substitute for dishes that call for an aging, sharper cotija.

The taste is different. Corn was domesticated right here in Mexico. For thousands of years, farmers here carefully mixed varieties of maize in small plots of land. But globalization made American yellow corn more common because it's so cheap.

What type of corn do Mexicans use? ›

The form of maize most used in Mexican cuisine is dent corn that has undergone the nixtamalición process. First, the kernels are removed from the cob and dried. The dried kernels are boiled in water that contains cal, or slaked lime.

Pronounced whee-tla-KO-cheh, huitlacoche is also known as corn mushroom, corn smut or Mexican truffle. It is a fungus, which randomly grows on organic corn (not sprayed with any fungicide). It is rare, as it develops on the corn ears as they ripen after the rainy season or an errant rainstorm.

This recipe calls for chili powder, but by all means, if you have Tajín, use it. Just cut back on the salt, as it's already in the blend. Whip up a batch of elote as a fun summertime snack or appetizer or serve alongside tacos, carne asada, or your favorite barbecue fare.

Tajin- some sort of chili powder is usually added to elotes, and my favorite is Tajin. It's also something you can easily find at any grocery store. Hot sauce- This is optional- I like Tapatio or Valentina but you don't have to add hot sauce if you don't want to.

Crema: Crema is a cultured dairy product similar to sour cream. On elote, crema works as the glue for adhering the spices and cheese onto grilled corn. While similar to crème fraîche and sour cream in terms of tang, crema is a bit thinner and sweeter than its tarter relatives.

Could you make fried chicken with mayonnaise? Turns out, you absolutely can! By using the thick and viscous mayo as a base to hold on to seasonings and the flour (kind of like a yogurt marinade), it resulted in a nice and light coating after frying the chicken.

Mexican mayo, also known as “Mayonesa,” is similar to regular mayo but has a few key differences. It is typically made with lime juice and a touch of mustard, giving it a slightly tangier and zestier flavor compared to traditional mayonnaise.

Miracle Whip was developed in 1933 as a cheaper alternative to mayonnaise. It has the same basic ingredients—eggs, oil and vinegar—but it also contains water, sugar and spices. That dilutes the condiment, reducing the amount of oil to less than 65%.

The ingredient swap works so well because, like butter, mayonnaise predominantly consists of fats — so it can achieve the same golden crust on a grilled cheese or creaminess in a baked good as butter does. One of the benefits of substituting butter with mayonnaise is that the ratio is usually an easy one-to-one swap.