A few weeks ago we went to a BBQ at a friend’s house and one of the things they served were these delicious ears of Grilled Mexican Corn with lots of cheese and herbs on them.

I’ve had street corn (sometimes called Elote Corn)  before in South America, but honestly, this was better.

Here’s a rough summary of the conversation I had with the party host.

Me: Wow. That corn is delicious. I ate all of it. Why is it so good?

Host: You don’t want to know.

Me: I really, really do. What’s the secret?

Host: Mayonnaise.

Me: Like… mayonnaise mayonnaise?

Host: Mayonnaise. That is all.

Me: Whatever. I’ll have one more.

So here it is for you. The way to make the best ear of corn you’ll eat this summer. I went ahead and made a quick batch of homemade mayo for my version which I think made it even better, but you can use whatever you have.

Grilled Elote Corn

5 from 1 vote
Author: Nick Evans
Servings: 8 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Grilled Mexican Corn, also called street corn or Elote is a fantastic side dish for the summer. Grilled sweet corn topped with spices and crumbled cheese!

Ingredients 

  • 8 ears sweet corn, grilled
  • 1 cup mayonnaise, homemade is best
  • 8 ounces cotija cheese
  • Chili powder
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  • I really recommend trying to make homemade mayo for this dish. It makes a world of difference and it’s not that hard. Follow my link in the ingredients to my homemade mayo recipe.
  • Grill corn in the husk over high heat for 10-12 minutes until the husks are really charred and the corn is steaming hot.
  • Let the corn cool briefly and then shuck the ears.
  • Rub each ear with a light layer of mayo (go light) and sprinkle each one generously with cotija cheese, chili powder, and fresh cilantro. Serve while warm!

Nutrition

Serving: 1Ear of Corn | Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 514mg | Potassium: 266mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 306IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Appetizers, Side Dishes
Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @crunchtimekitchen

Grilled Mexican Corn

The Mayonnaise

I realize that some of you may be doubting me on the whole mayonnaise thing. But think about it… what’s the most common condiment for corn? Probably butter, right?

Well, butter is mostly fat and mayonnaise is mostly fat. The nice thing about mayo is that it’s thick enough to really stick to the corn and then you can pile on toppings that stick to the corn also.

Making homemade mayo is not hard. I can whisk up a batch of it in, literally, two minutes. It starts with an egg yolk, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a small squirt of mustard.

For my full recipe and instructions, check out my homemade mayo post!

Making mayo
Mayo basics

Whisk all that together and then start very slowly whisking in the oil. To make sure I’m adding the oil slow enough, I just dip my whisk in the oil and then whisk it in so there are just a few drops of oil getting whisked in.

making mayo
Whisk whisk.

After a few times of doing that you can start drizzling in the oil in a slow stream.

Eventually, the mayo will thicken into a beautiful, creamy situation.

Season it well with salt and pepper and maybe a pinch of chili powder or cayenne pepper for this recipe.

homemade mayo
Mayo done!

Making the Corn

The nice thing about corn is that it comes in its cooking device. Just throw the ears on a hot grill and leave them until they are nicely charred. They’ll need to grill for at least 10-12 minutes.

Corn on the grill - Grilled Mexican Corn
Grilling corn!

Then you can just husk the corn when it comes off the grill and prepare your other toppings (the mayo and the cheese).

Grilled Mexican Corn fixings
Fixins.

Mayo Application

Here’s the thing that makes the mayo not gross. You want to use a super-thin layer of it. Just brush on a light coat of it. It should barely be noticeable in the final ear. It will just kind of make the corn glisten with deliciousness.

The secret ingredient to grilled elote corn.
Secret ingredient

Then you can sprinkle on your toppings like crumbled cheese, fresh cilantro, and chili powder.

So delicious.

Grilled Mexican Corn ~ Macheesmo
These were way good.

I ate two ears of Grilled Mexican Corn right away and probably could’ve handled a third.

I do not lie to you all.

I’m telling you… MAYONNAISE.

Do it and don’t look back.