Sadly, another summer’s coming to a close and with it, some of our favorite summer foods will disappear until next season. Hands down, one of the best things about summer is the abundance of fresh-from-the-farm corn. Especially if you live in here Jersey you know what I’m talking about.
If you’ve been eating your corn boiled or grilled and slathered with butter that works, but if you haven’t tried Elote yet, you’ve been missing out.
Elote is the classic Mexican street food of corn-on-the-cob charred on the grill, then slathered in a creamy lime, cumin and garlic spiked sauce then topped with Cotija cheese and cilantro. Sounds amazing, right? Adding Wright’s Liquid Smoke to this Elote recipe gives it extra smoky flavor so you can get that wonderful char flavor even on your grill pan.
When you serve the Elote as a side dish, leave the husks on and tie them back for a pretty presentation. Be sure to soak them so they don’t burn. To serve these as an appetizer, remove the husk, halve the ears and insert thick skewers or popsicle sticks into one end. Sprinkle generously with Cotija and cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
- 4 ears corn-on-the-cob
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ to 1/2 teaspoon Wright’s Liquid Smoke
- 2 tablespoons grated Cotija or Queso Fresco
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Preheat grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Peel husks from corn.*
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Combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, cumin and Wright’s Liquid Smoke in small bowl. Dived mixture in half.
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Brush corn with half of mayonnaise mixture. Grill corn 6 minutes, turning occasionally until corn is slightly charred and tender.
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Brush with remaining mayonnaise mixture and sprinkle with Cotija and additional cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
*For a pretty presentation and to make handling hot corn easier, use the husks as handles. Pull the husks back but leave attached at the base to form a tail-like handle. Remove the silk from the corn. Tie husk with a kitchen string. Cut off excess if desired. Soak the husk "tails” in cold water for about 10 minutes before grilling to prevent burning, or hang the husks over the edge of the grill during cooking.
To serve Street Corn as a snack or appetizer, break the corn cobs in half and skewer with wooden skewers or popsicle sticks.
