Esquites (aka Elote in a Bowl)
Fun little fact for you all, did you know my birthday is on Cinco de Mayo? Yep! Every year! (Did you get that Dad joke?) Another fun fact, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day it’s a celebration of Mexico’s victory in The Battle of Puebla. However, I think Americans really took a liking to the idea of celebrating a holiday with tacos and margaritas. I’m not going to lie, it’s really fun to have your birthday on this holiday! It includes some of my favorite foods and in the last couple of years, I’ve really taken a liking to mezcal so it’s kind of perfect! This year to celebrate my birthday (and my Uncle’s bday – yes we share the same birthday), my family threw a little fiesta and I brought my Esquites (aka Elote in a Bowl).
What are esquites?
Esquites (aka Elote in a Bowl) are a traditional Mexican dish that includes corn that is toasted or sautéed in butter and chiles and then topped with mayo, lime, hot sauce and other ingredients (according to Wikipedia). It can also be referred to as elote in a bowl or cup because it contains the same ingredients you would find on an elote. It also goes by the name Mexican Street Corn or Mexican Street Corn Salad. All you have to know is it’s delicious!
Prep Time
15 min.
Cook Time
20 min.
Total Time
35 min.
Ingredients
12 ears corn shucked
2 tsp chile lime salt optional
1 each jalapeño
4 oz cotija crumbled
½ cup mayonnaise
3 each scallions thinly sliced
¾ cup cilantro roughly chopped
2 each lime juiced
½ tbsp lime zest
2 tsp guajillo chile powder can substitute chipotle powder, chili powder or cayenne
avocado oil spray
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Cooking instructions
Preheat your grill to medium-high heat.
Remove any corn husks or corn silk from the corn on the cob. Spray the corn with avocado oil spray and season the corn with salt and chile lime salt or freshly ground black pepper.
Next place your corn on the grill, along with the jalapeño. Grill the corn for about 15-20 minutes, rotating every few minutes, until charred in some places and fully cooked.
Continue to cook the jalapeño until nicely charred, but not black.
Remove corn and jalapeño once they are cooked and allow them to cool for 20 minutes.
Once the corn is cooled, cut the kernels off the cob into a large bowl. Chop the jalapeño into small pieces.
Add the cotija cheese, mayo, scallions, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest and guajillo chile powder. Taste and add more salt if necessary. Enjoy!
