Description
Spicy Mexican street corn, also known as elote, is a fiery twist on the classic grilled corn. It features charred corn on the cob slathered with a creamy, spicy sauce and sprinkled with fresh herbs and cheese. This recipe amps up the heat with extra chili powder, jalapeños, and hot sauce for a truly bold flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 ears of corn, husked
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
- 1/4 cup finely crumbled cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1-2 jalapeños, finely minced (remove seeds for less heat)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)
- 1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Cholula or Valentina), or to taste
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
- Brush the husked corn with melted butter.
- Grill the corn directly on the grates, turning occasionally, until charred in spots and tender, about 8-12 minutes.
- While the corn grills, prepare the spicy cream sauce. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, cotija cheese, lime juice, minced jalapeños, chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce. Stir until well combined.
- Once the corn is grilled, remove it from the grill.
- Generously slather each ear of corn with the spicy cream sauce, ensuring all sides are coated.
- Sprinkle with additional cotija cheese and fresh cilantro.
- Serve immediately with extra lime wedges on the side.
Notes
- For an extra smoky flavor, char the corn directly over an open flame on a gas burner or use a grill pan.
- Adjust the amount of jalapeños, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and hot sauce to your preferred spice level.
- If cotija cheese is unavailable, you can use finely grated Parmesan cheese as a substitute, but the flavor will be different.
- You can serve this dish off the cob by cutting the kernels after grilling and mixing them with the sauce in a bowl.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer, Side Dish
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ear of corn
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 450mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 20g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 30mg