Recipes

Elote and Esquites: Fresh Corn, Less Mess

8/25/2022 | By Breana Killeen

Mexican esquites served on corn husks with limes and chili powder. Elote – Mexican street corn – is grilled corn on the cob with mayo sauce, chili powder, cheese, and lime. Esquites is the same but in a bowl.

Elote, aka Mexican street corn, is grilled corn on the cob, smothered in a creamy mayo sauce, seasoned with chili powder, cheese, and lime. Esquites is served in a bowl, instead, for all of the flavor but less mess. Serve this flavorful corn bowl along with additional sides at your barbecue.

To take advantage of seasonal fresh corn, grill extra corn – use the corn on the cob immediately, setting four aside for the esquites.

Mexican Corn (Esquites)

Serves 6

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Elote – Mexican street corn – is grilled corn on the cob with mayo sauce, chili powder, cheese, and lime. Esquites is the same but in a bowl. Serve this flavorful corn bowl along with additional sides at your barbecue.

Ingredients:

  • 4 large ears corn, husked
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 scallion, sliced
  • 3/4 cup crumbled Cotija cheese or queso fresco, plus more for garnish
  • 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of chipotle chile powder

Directions:

  1. Preheat grill to medium-high.
  2. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, 8 to 12 minutes total.
  3. Meanwhile, whisk mayonnaise, sour cream, scallion, cheese, lime zest, lime juice, salt and chile powder in a medium bowl.
  4. Cut the kernels from the cobs. Add to the bowl and toss to combine to create your delicious, no-mess esquites.

Thoroughly savor your esquites y elote by learning the many health benefits of corn.

Recipe nutrition per serving: 154 Calories, Total Fat: 10 g, Saturated Fat: 4 g, Cholesterol: 19 mg, Carbohydrates: 14 g, Fiber: 2 g, Total Sugars: 5 g, Protein: 5 g, Sodium: 348 mg, Potassium: 219 mg, Iron: 0 mg, Folate: 32 mcg, Calcium: 128 mg, Vitamin A: 312 IU, Vitamin C: 6 mg.

Two other delightful uses for fresh corn:

Chilled Zucchini and Corn Soup

Slather your corn on the cob with Middle Eastern flavors

EatingWell is a magazine and website devoted to healthy eating as a way of life. Online at www.eatingwell.com.

© 2022 Meredith Corporation. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Breana Killeen

Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD, is EatingWell's former test kitchen and editorial operations manager, where she oversaw the development, production and nutrition analysis of 500-plus recipes per year and helped manage day-to-day operations to keep everything running smoothly. Breana has a master's degree in public health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu London, a Wine Spirit and Education Trust-trained sommelier and a registered dietitian. When she's not cooking or chasing toddlers, you can find her out on her farm wrangling 150 chickens, 8 cows, 2 dogs and her tractor-loving husband.

Related Resources