Mexican Street Corn

It is corn season! I grew up in New Jersey and was raised on sweet Jersey corn, tomatoes and peaches - all summer long. We went to our local farmers market, Sickles, where my Dad carefully selected the corn. Jersey corn is truly sweet (you can even eat it raw) and does not require much prep work aside from a pot of boiling water and finished with butter and salt.

However, as much as I love the simplicity of Jersey corn on the cob, Mexican street corn, or elote, is pretty darn amazing. Simple to make and really delicious. Grilling without the husks on gets the kernels nice and charred - but keep rotating the ears so you don’t have a burnt mess!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Mexican crema (option to substitute with sour cream)

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Vegetable oil, for brushing

• 6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked and cleaned (leave the handle on)

• 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled

• Fresh lime juice, from about 2 medium limes

• Chili powder

• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  

Preparation

• Preheat grill to medium-high heat

• In a medium bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, and garlic

• Brush grill grates with oil, place the corn on the grill, and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, rotating corn a quarter turn every couple of minutes to ensure even cooking

• Remove corn from grill, evenly brush all ears with the crema mixture

• Liberally sprinkle corn with the crumbled cotija

• Drizzle lime juice and sprinkle chili powder on corn

• Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately

If you have any left over (and I doubt you will), shear off the kernels from the ears with a serrated knife and store in an airtight container (it remains good for about three days). This is great to use as a filling for tacos another night.

Super Fun Fact: Corn has 16 rows. Always. Well, always an even number and usually 16. Count them next time you have corn!