Happy first week of May!
Seriously, how is it May already? Didn’t the year just, like just, start?!?
That and the fact that my baby is going to be 6 months this month… ah I can’t take it!
But I do have to say that I am excited for Cinco de Mayo… or as I like to call it Cinco de Drinko. I mean, Cinco de Mayo isn’t really a huge holiday in Mexico but it is in America.
I wonder why that is?
Anyway, to honor my (part) Mexican heritage, I thought I would make a Mexican dish for you to enjoy – Mexican Street Corn or Elotes. And, ya know, I’m not gunna lie and say that I’ve ever even had this dish before because I haven’t.
Seriously.
I did also make you a margarita but it was with the last blood oranges that I had in the fridge and they aren’t available anymore in stores so I’m going to save that recipe for when they come back in season (here it is!).
Onward…
I’ve seen Mexican street corn all over the internet and made so many different ways. To be honest, reading some of the recipes it didn’t seem all that interesting or even good to try.
Some of the recipes are made with mayo slathered on the corn while others call for sour cream. And personally, I don’t like either one of those things.
Warm mayo slathered on corn just doesn’t sound appetizing to me.
And then some call for cojita cheese for the top while others call for feta cheese. And both of those cheese have very different flavor profiles so how do you know which one is right?
But I wanted to give it a try anyway to see if I would even like it. I figured I would go the sour cream and queso fresco cheese route.
Since I use queso fresco cheese on just about everything and it’s a Mexican crumbling cheese, I thought it would be suitable replacement for the cojita. And the sour cream is more bearable warm than mayo.
So I went to the store to grab the ingredients and when I grabbed the queso fresco I noticed they had Mexican crema right next to it.
Yes! Mexican crema is so much better than sour cream or mayo. Done.
I came home and made the recipe with dinner that night and hesitatingly tried it for the first time. I fell in love with the flavor profiles and continued to eat only corn for dinner that night.
So here it is, ladies and gents. My version of Mexican street corn.
Since I first made this recipe last month, I have made it no less than 4 more times. I do believe that I will now only eat corn this way and only this way.
Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh sweet corn
- 1/3 cup Mexican crema
- 6 oz queso fresco
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 lime quartered
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450° F and line baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Shuck corn, removing all leaves and silk and place on baking sheet. Bake at 450° F for 15- 20 minutes, turning once, until slightly golden on the outside and corn is soft.
- Remove from oven and using a knife, slather each ear with about 1 Tbsp of crema and sprinkle with about 1 Tbsp queso fresco. Return to oven and cook additional 5 minutes until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and place on serving platter. Drizzle remaining crema over top of corn followed by remaining cheese. Sprinkle evenly with chili powder and squeeze 1 lime wedge over top of each.
- Finish with sprinkle of cilantro and enjoy!
