Mexican street corn (elote)
Charred corn on the cob slathered in creamy lime mayo, rolled in salty cotija and dusted with chili powder, the way it’s sold from street carts.
- 30 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 6
- About $1.11 a serving
- 230 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 6 corn on the cob
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 limes, 1 zested and juiced, 1 cut into wedges
- ¾ cup cotija cheese, finely crumbled
- 2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
From your pantry
- 1 tsp chili powder
Each serving has about 230 calories, 7 g protein, 22 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $1.11 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a large pot of water over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Set an oven rack 4 to 6 inches below the and turn the broiler on high.
Broil. Broiling means cooking under the oven’s top heating element, with strong heat from above. It browns and crisps the top in minutes, and it can burn fast, so stay close.
How you’ll know: The top bubbles and spots golden brown; check every minute and pull it before it blackens.
Dolly’s tip: Every broiler runs a little different. Stay close and peek often.Pull the husks and silky threads off the corn, then it 4 minutes, until bright yellow.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
High heatTimer: 4 min
Lift the corn out with tongs, it dry, and lay it on a foil-lined .
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
8 to 10 minutes, turning every few minutes with tongs, until in spots all over.
Broil. Broiling means cooking under the oven’s top heating element, with strong heat from above. It browns and crisps the top in minutes, and it can burn fast, so stay close.
How you’ll know: The top bubbles and spots golden brown; check every minute and pull it before it blackens.
Char. Charring means cooking over very high heat until some spots turn black. Those dark spots add a smoky, slightly bitter flavor that balances sweet or rich food.
How you’ll know: You see black spots and blisters in places, while most of the surface keeps its own color.
Timer: 9 min
Meanwhile, the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime zest and 1 tablespoon lime juice together in a shallow dish.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Spread the creamy sauce over each hot ear with a spoon, then roll it in the cotija, pressing so it sticks.
Dust with chili powder and cilantro and serve with the lime wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
When you host a dinner, Dollop builds the menu around your guests’ allergies, works out a cooking timeline back from when everyone sits down, and puts it all on one grocery list.
