Elote (E-low-tay) aka Mexican street corn, has been making its way through North American culture despite years of enjoyment by Central Americans. It's on the Instagram, it's on the Pinterest, and it's in your local Latino establishments. One fine weekend day recently, it was about 3 p.m., so well after lunch, but not soon enough to dinner and I wanted a little snack. I thought about these spiced corn on the cobs on a stick and headed up to Manny's, a little shaved ice and snack place in Triangle City, to try their elote, plus a shaved ice. I can't pass up the opportunity for shaved ice, ever. I recommend the guava pineapple.
I thoroughly enjoyed their version of elote at all, in all of its slightly messy glory (or maybe the messiness was on my part, who's to say?) but I wondered about recreating elote ... off the cob. Would it hold the same appeal of food on a stick? Would the enjoyability factor be retained if you were spooning the same flavors into your mouth rather than munching it from a cob? There was only one way to find out.
Mexican Street Corn Salad (Elote Off of the Cob)
Ingredients
- 6-7 ears corn
- 1 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup crema
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup lime juice
- ¾ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tbsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup cilantro finely chopped
- ½ red onion diced
- ½ cup Cotija cheese
Instructions
- Turn a grill on high heat. Shuck the corn and desilk it while the grill is heating. Rub the clean ears of corn with a tablespoon of butter, or melt the butter and use a rubber brush to coat the corn in melted butter.
- Grill the corn for 10 minutes or until it has a nice char in spots. Remove the corn from the grill to cool until its easy to handle.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the crema, mayo, lime juice, and spices. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Use a knife to cut the corn off of the cob into a large mixing bowl. Add in the red onion and mix together.
- Use a large spoon to fold in the dressing and top with cilantro and Cotija cheese. Mix together and garnish with more of both as desired.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, but can be eaten cold. Do not reheat.
A note about finding crema and cotija, which may be considered "speciality" items in some areas: These are easily accessible in the dairy section of Hispanic grocery stores or tiendas. But these things are becoming increasingly common in mainstream grocery stores in areas with a larger Hispanic population. I found the crema in my local Bi-Lo, and I see cotija cheese there, but not consistently. You can use the green shaker can of Parmesan cheese in place of cotija if you absolutely cannot find any — but it's worth the hunt.
The elote was good hot and fresh as well as eaten chilled from the fridge the next day. I prefer it warm, but it will not reheat well, what with the crema and all.
It's still pretty hot out — are you looking for more cool salad recipes to keep away the heat? Find more chilled salad recipes right here!