Mexican Corn (Elote) Recipe

I remember the first time I tried Elote. One of my favorite local restaurant serves “Mexican Corn Wheels” and when I tried them, it was love at first bite. Later I learned that their recipe was based on a Mexican dish called Elote.

I’ve tried Elote at various places (including numerous restaurants, Disneyland, and even a food stand in Ensenada, Mexico – see photo below) but none have compared with the deliciously creamy and tangy corn wheels at this restaurant.

Here’s the Elote I tried in Ensenada, Mexico

When I obtained their ingredients list, I immediately set to work on re-creating the dish. My final recipe is below. You can either slather the sauce onto some corn on the cob or mix it in with cooked cut corn – whatever suits your fancy!

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup feta cheese (see note below)
• 1/4 cup cilantro (or parsley, if you don’t like cilantro)
• Red pepper flakes (or paprika)
• 4 corn on the cob OR 2 bags of frozen corn (1 lb per bag)

Note: You can replace the feta cheese with 1/4 cup of cotija cheese, if you want the dish to be even more authentically Mexican. The restaurant I like uses a blend of feta and Romano, although I think it tastes great with just feta.

Directions:

For the sauce:

1. Wash the cilantro by swirling the cilantro bunch in a bowl full of water. Dump the water out and repeat the process until there is no more dirt in the water.
2. Chop off and chop up the cilantro leaves that you need (the stems are edible, just chop them small if you’re using them)
3. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise, feta and Romano cheeses, and cilantro into a bowl.
4. Then juice the lime and pour it into the bowl too.
5. Mix the ingredients together and voila, you have the sauce!

For the corn, if using corn on the cob:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil (don’t fill it to the top – make room for the corn)
2. Peel the husks and silky threads off the corn and drop the corn into the boiling water
3. Bring the water back to a boil and cover, boiling for an additional 5 minutes
4. Remove the corn with tongs and let them cool on a plate for a minute or so!
5. Slather the sauce onto the corn and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or paprika.

For the corn, if using frozen cut corn:

1. Pour the frozen corn into a skillet and saute on medium for about 7-10 minutes, until the corn is hot and you see steam rising
2. Strain the corn and discard the water
3. Pour the corn into a bowl and add the sauce.
4. Stir and sprinkle with red pepper flakes or paprika. You’re done! If you want more tang, add more lime juice and mix it again.