When I’m in Mexico City one of my favorite things to do is enjoy some elote, a Mexican grilled sweet corn that you find selling out of push carts all over the streets and squares. Take it up a notch with spiciness, creaminess and the saltiness of cotija cheese as a perfect, fresh summer salad for your next backyard BBQ, picnic or cookout.
Ingredients
- 5-7 ears of sweet corn, substitute 1 bag Trader Joe’s frozen Fire-Roasted Corn
- 1/3 cup cotija cheese, substitute feta if needed
- 1/3 crema (substitute 3 tablespoons sour cream and 5 tablespoons mayonnaise)
- 1 small red onion chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Dash of Kosher salt & pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional
- 2 limes (one for juice, one for garnish)
Preparation
- Husk and grill sweet corn.
- With a sharp knife cut the corn off the cob.
- Toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish with a quartered lime, a few sprigs of cilantro, some cotija cheese and a dash of chili powder.
TIP: Aaron says “when grilling the corn charing adds a lot of flavor.”
Mix it up
Add protein like grilled chicken or steak
Freshen it up with tomatoes, sweet peppers or radishes
Mexican Elote Grilled Corn Salad
This take on the Mexican street snack, elote or grilled sweet corn, is easy to make as a side dish for a Sunday gathering in your backyard.
Summer Veggie Salad
Saturday mornings I love a trip to the farmer’s market, loading up on fresh vegetables and herbs. One of my favorite, easy to make is a veggie salad.
Strawberry Salad with Candied Walnuts
When fresh strawberries are in season, it makes a perfect and refreshing side dish when you don’t want to cook.
Elote — Mexican Street Corn
The Spanish translation for Elote is corn. When visiting Mexico City I love going historic center of Mexico City to get grilled sweet corn from the street vendors. It’s a fantastic appetizer or side for a summer BBQ.
