Are you ready for some Mexican food and fun? Today is Cinco de Mayo and that means Sunday Supper has to celebrate it big! We are sharing recipes for today and any time you are craving the cuisine. I have to admit I had a difficult time deciding what to make. First I thought about these roll-ups I have made dozens of times. Then perhaps brisket tacos. One morning I woke up suddenly around 4am and remembered Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn). That was it! Decision made and I went back to sleep.
The first time I had Elote was on a trip to New York. I went there with a group of friends to celebrate someone's 50th birthday. We went to Cariño restaurant in Brooklyn, to visit one of my friend Terry's family members. The meal was one of the best I've ever had. Every bit of it was memorable and I wish they had a location in Atlanta. One day I hope to get back to New York so I can enjoy their incredible food again.
I researched recipes on the internet. There were several versions and I took notes and got inspiration from all of them. I came up with a recipe with a little from this and a little from that. Then I was concerned I would not make something authentic. As luck would have it, my roof was replaced this week. The roofing crew was a team of Hispanic workers. I made the corn, photographed it, and took it out to them on their lunch break. The moment I set the tray down, one said "Elote!" with a big smile on his face. The rest came over and got an ear of corn. I walked away, turned around, and they all gave me a thumbs up and said "Delicioso!". That's all I needed to hear.
Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn on the Cob)
Ingredients
- 6 ears of corn husks on
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- ½ teaspoon ground ancho chile pepper plus more for serving
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup grated cotija or parmesan cheese
- Lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Peel back the husks to loosen them from the corn. Do not remove husks. Soak the corn in cold water for 20 minutes.
- Prepare a medium hot grill (about 350 degrees F).
- Peel back the husks leaving at least two outer layers attached at the end. Remove the silk and pull the husks back up. Tie with cooking twine or a piece of husk (not too tightly so that steam can be relased during grilling).
- Place the ears on the grill. Cover grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning ears every 5 minutes for even cooking. The corn is done with the kernels are soft. Be careful not to over-cook or the corn will be mushy.
- While the ears are grilling, make the spread. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise, sour cream, ancho chili pepper, lime juice, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Spread a thin layer of the cheese on a plate or sheet of aluminum foil.
- Handle the grilled corn with caution because they will be hot. Safety first to avoid burns.
- Peel back and remove the husk from an ear of corn. Brush the spread on the corn. Roll the coated corn in the cheese. Repeat process with remaining corn.
- Serve immediately with additional ancho chile pepper and lime wedges. Squeeze the lime over the corn and sprinkle with more pepper if desired.
Notes
Are you ready for more Cinco de Mayo recipes? Take a look at what my fellow Sunday Supper bloggers are sharing for today's event:
Cinco de Mayo Appetizers & Sides {Aperitivos}:
- Chipotle Roasted Chickpeas from Home Cooking Memories
- Cinco de Mayo Tuna Pepper Poppers from Shockingly Delicious
- Elote (Mexican Grilled Corn) from Magnolia Days
- Esquites or Mexican Corn Salad from Kimchi Mom
- Grilled Corn on the Cob with Lime-Cayenne Butter from Healthy. Delicious.
- Guacamole Rice from Foxes Love Lemons
- Healthy Mexican Ceviche from Mama's Blissful Bites
- Loaded Cheesy Nachos from Gotta Get Baked
- Lobster Guacamole from I Run For Wine
- Roasted Garlic and Bacon Guacamole from Ruffles & Truffles
- Slow Cooker Chicken Con Queso from Daily Dish Recipes
Cinco de Mayo Main Dishes {Platos Principales}:
- Barbacoa Beef from The Urban Mrs.
- Chicken Enchiladas with Avocado Cream Sauce from Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen
- Chicken Fajita Feta-ccine from Chocolate Moosey
- Chicken Fajita Salad w/Home made Easy Salsa from Momma's Meals
- Chicken Mole Potato Skins from Noshing with the Nolands
- Corona Beer-Battered Fish Tacos from Pescetarian Journal
- Duck Carnitas from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
- Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
- Fish Tacos with Lime Salsa from Curious Cuisiniere
- Japanese Mexican Tacos from Ninja Baking
- Lightened Up Taco Salad from Kudos Kitchen
- Mexican Pizza with Chipotle Orange Sauce from Family Foodie
- Oven Baked Beef, Bean, and Cheese Chimichangas from In The Kitchen With KP
- Pork Carnitas from From the Bookshelf
- Red Chile Jam + Tequila Chicken Quesadillas from Vintage Kitchen Notes
- Roasted Poblano and Corn Lasagna from Juanita's Cocina
- Shrimp Soft Tacos with Lime Dressing and Crunchy Vegetables from Crazy Foodie Stunts
- Slow Cooked Carne Asadas from Peanut Butter and Peppers
- Soft Shell Tacos from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Spicy Shredded Beef Chimichangas from Supper for a Steal
- Spicy Steak Fajitas from Cravings of a Lunatic
- Stuffed Poblano Peppers from Country Girl in the Village
- Tequila Lime Chicken from No One Likes Crumbley Cookies
- Tex-Mex Chopped Chicken Salad with Honey-Lime Dressing from The Weekend Gourmet
- Tofu Tacos from Hip Foodie Mom
- Yucatan Pollo Pibil and Corn Tortillas from MarocMama
Cinco de Mayo Desserts {Postres}:
- Dairy-free Flan from The Not So Cheesy Kitchen
- Dark and Spicy Chocolate Pots de Creme from Happy Baking Days
- Fried Ice Cream for a Crowd from Growing Up Gabel
- Luxuriously Healthy Chocolate Frosting from What Smells So Good?
- Mexican Brownies from Cindy's Recipes and Writings
- Paletas de Tamarindo (Tamarind Popsicles) from La Cocina de Leslie
- Peanut Mazapanes from Pies and Plots
Cinco de Mayo Drinks {Bebidas}:
- Fresh & Fruity Sangria from Webicurean
- Fruity Aguas Frescas from The Foodie Patootie
- Mango Aqua Fresca With Chia Seeds from Sue's Nutrition Buzz
- Margarona from The Messy Baker
- Tamarindo Drink (Agua de Tamarindo) from Basic N Delicious
What great food! It's a big virtual fiesta! My to-cook list keeps growing and growing. How about you?
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Oh, yum! The fanciest grilled corn I know is made with soy sauce. But your elote with the cheese sounds and looks delicioso! And when someone compliments on food that is part of their native land, you know it's good =)
Soy sauce for grilled corn sounds good to me too. Now I need to investigate that...
I have heard of this but never tried it. Sounds intriguing. I have been using a microwave approach where you don't need to peel the corn at all (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnBF6bv4Oe4) that I think might work well with this. Probably not as crisp as grilled.
Most sites seem to put their recipe above the links to all the others. I at first thought you'd forgotten to post the recipe! LOL!
The corn cooked in the microwave or boiled on the stove would work. The only difference is it would not have the smokey flavor from the grill.
You had the best bunch of recipe testers for this one! How great is that? I never had elote, but corn with cheeses, how can that not be amazing! Have a great sunday Renee!
PS I `stole´ your Food & Wine banner and pasted it in my post...
Thanks Paula. Okay about stealing the Food & Wine banner because it is great to see it on your beautiful blog.
Sounds like the best critique you could get 🙂 What a great take on grilled corn - I love the flavors!
I have never had Elote. I have to try this! Sounds amazing.
Mmmm these sound amazing! I haven't tried elote yet
Ahhhh, I love your story! You must have felt so proud when the workers said Elote! I'm going to be saying Elote tonight because I am making this for dinner! I have two ears of corn that need to be used. Thank you for sharing the recipe and the story!
I really did feel proud when the workers said it was delicioso. I came in the house and did a happy dance.
I never heard of this way to make corn, sounds delicious!
My mouth is watering just thinking about this Elote! I haven't had it before, but since my husband got his grill for Christmas last year, we are always looking to try new recipes that utilize it. This is right up my alley!
I had never heard of elote but they look amazing! What a great idea.
You can't go wrong with cheesy corn. This looks amazing, Renee! I just want to sink my teeth in. Yum!
I had to laugh... you might be the only person the ever use "luck" and "roof replaced" in the same sentence! I used love elote... until I found out that it has mayo on it. I have a completely irrational fear of mayo. hah!
You could probably substitute Greek yogurt for the mayo since you don't use mayo. Oh, and it's the second time we have had a new roof because of hailstorms.
Awesome! Loved that trip. Carino is still going strong. If you are ever in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, stop in. http://carinonyc.com/carinonyc/?page_id=4
My sweet niece Yesi, was one of the original owners. She is on her way to live in South America to further her career in life experiences.
Thanks for sharing the link to the restaurant. Good luck to Yesi with her adventure in South America.
I can only imagine how terrific this tastes. I can't wait to try it with fresh Indiana sweet corn! YUM!
Corn on the cob doesn't have to be boring anymore. This is my revelation after reading this post. This recipe is a must-make for me later this month! It's already on my Memorial Day menu! Thanks Renee.
No more boring corn. Thanks a bunch Alaiyo!
We looooove elotes! Sometimes I turn it into a meal!
I could see making a meal of it too.
YUMMY! Great recipe for the fresh corn on the cob I keep seeing in stores!
Oh my freakin' goodness that looks SO good!!! Yum!!
Thanks Nicole!
Never thought to put mayo on corn, then again our corn season is so short here we savour it au naturale as much as we can!
This sounds simply amazing, Renee.
Renee,
I love that you brought something authentic! Awesome! I have never had Elote but now I must try this! I couldn't figure out if that was panko or what on the outside. . grated cotija or parmesan cheese. . yum!!! Hmm... maybe I should try deep frying corn on the cob. . would that be crazy?! This is inspiring!!! yum!
People deep fry lots of things. You might as well try corn. Who knows? It could be the most awesome thing to do.
Oh man I need this in my life! I adore grilled corn and adding Parmesan on top of it sounds awesome!
These look and sound incredible!!! Just saw a version of these on The Chew last week, and now after seeing your awesome version, I've got to try them!!!
Elote was featured on The Chew? I'll have to see if I can find that episode on video. How cool.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who dreams about recipe ideas 😉 Can't wait until it's corn season around here!
Glad to hear someone else has recipe dreams. Maybe it is another aspect to food blogging or just another level of being food obsessed.
I've never had Elote, and this looks wondeful--can't wait to try it!
Renee, I never made neither flavored corn on the cob nor grilled. They are just popping in the market for a premium price so I'll wait before attempting this year for the first time, grilled & flavored. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks Shulie! Corn season will be here soon.
This looks amazing. I've never tried Elote, but I've heard about it/seen it in quite a few places recently. I want to try it so bad! Thanks for the recipe!
I love this type of corn. There's also a very similar recipe with the kernels used in a salad and that happens to be one of the dishes I made today. 🙂
I want to make that salad too. Sometimes I don't want to eat corn straight from the cob and the salad would be great then.
Corn is a hot favorite in our home and this recipe loooks so yumm ! Pinning and making hopefully this week !
Thanks for pinning Sue and I hope you enjoy it too.
Oh my gosh! Sounds so awesome. I'm obsessed with corn.
I am such a sucker for corn. It's one of my fave things in the world to eat. This is absolutely gorgeous and I bet the taste is off the charts.
My official taste testers sure did like it. I did too. I can see me getting lots of ears of corn this summer from the farmers market and making this often.
Renee, you truly had a moment of brilliance when you thought up elote for today's Sunday Supper 😉 These are amazing! I had it once at an excellent Mexican restaurant in San Francisco and have yet to find them in Vancouver. You've totally got me craving this. I also found that comment on google plus this morning hilarious (the dude who said mayo on corn is gross). That's what someone with no taste buds would say!
Some people don't like mayonnaise and can't imagine it on lots of things. I'm sure if he tried it he would like it though. The flavors of the sauce make it more than plain mayo spread on corn. Plus the cheese too.
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare corn on the cob! And the first time I tried this was at a Brooklyn restaurant. LOVE IT!
How cool is that? We both had Elote for the first time in Brooklyn. Fantastic Amy! I love your corn salad today too.
Whoa, hold the phone. This corn looks like the best grilled corn ever. I absolutely have to try some!
I've never heard of such a thing! I love it....I love adding flavor to grilled corn! Thanks for sharing Renee!!
Elote is so good, especially with sweet summer corn! During all the street fairs in the summer, you are guaranteed to find quite a few vendors selling it. Hard to resist.
I just recently say this and I am for sure trying it this summer. Thanks for the recipe!!
Oh wow, yum! This looks wonderful! Thank you for sharing
OOOOH Yum! I love elote. I have never made it at home though. I love this recipe and cannot wait to try it out.
This is one of my fav things to order in any Mexican restaurant. Never thought to make it at home! Now I must! Thanks!
You are lucky to be able to order it from a restaurant. I haven't seen it on the menu at any of the ones near where I live.