Corn is seasonal to summer, so it’s super sweet this time of year. Not only is corn at its sweetest towards the end of summer, it’s also often the cheapest time of year to buy it. I call that a win/win situation!
This Mexican style grilled corn is my take on elote. It has all the same flavors and comes together quickly, but I don’t like mayonnaise, so I use garlic dip to coat the corn. I tried using butter but the butter melts so nothing else sticks to it. I’ve heard of people using cilantro dip, and I’m sure in a pinch you could even use a thin shmear of cream cheese, but I always have this Trader Joes garlic dip in my fridge, so that’s my preference.
This Mexican style grilled corn is a great side dish or snack, and is the perfect way to celebrate the end of summer.
Note: This is a no measure recipe. Just get the ingredients, follow the process to make it, and customize the toppings and amounts based on your preferences!
Mexican style grilled corn ingredients:
- Fresh corn
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Trader Joe’s Garlic Dip
- Queso fresco cheese
- Chopped Cilantro
- Aleppo pepper flakes
- Lime wedges
Start by preparing your corn. Remove the silk and husks, then coat each ear of corn with a bit of olive oil and salt. You can cook the corn a couple of different ways. You can put the corn directly onto the barbecue over medium heat and cook until the corn is tender and you get some golden brown char marks on the corn.
Alternately, you can place the corn on a baking sheet under the broiler. Just keep an eye on it and turn the corn every few minutes to ensure that all the sides get cooked and don’t completely burn. If you want more color, after the corn is cooked, you can place the corn directly over the open flame of a gas burner. It only take a few seconds to get some good char marks on the corn, and will give off a similar taste and texture to how the corn comes out when cooking on the grill.
Once the corn is cooked, let it cool until you can handle it for about five minutes. Spread a thin layer of garlic dip (or whatever you’re using as your base. Like I said, you could use many different dips, cream cheese, or if you like it you can always use mayonnaise which is very traditional).
Next, sprinkle each ear of corn with queso fresco, Aleppo pepper, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. This Mexican style street corn is packed with flavor and is super easy to make! If you’re at a party, you can always set up a DIY bar with the cooked corn and all the toppings so people can customize it to what they like. Enjoy!
