Mexican Grilled Corn (Elote)

I can tell you right now I am not the biggest fan of street food. I prefer to have a designated location to send my complaints if any arise. However, after living in Los Angeles I've found that street vendors of all shapes and sizes sell food throughout the city both legally and illegally. I really don't have a problem with most, nor a problem with the ones that sell this tasty snack but.....

I cannot get behind mayonnaise not being stored properly in the sun of LA. I have asked many people what is that white stuff that is spread over the corn (Elote) and all said either mayo, sour cream or a combination of the two. That is ridiculous because I have yet to see proper refrigeration on any of these carts! How can it be that anyone would eat food so blatantly improperly stored? I am not trying to crush anyone's hustle but throw it in ice box people. I am not angry just worried about your stomachs! So here is the way I make it with a few changes. 

Also, I've never had this corn, so this recipe was based soley off of research with a little trial and error.

Ingredients

3 ears of shucked corn

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1/4 cup of lime juice

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of queso fresco cheese

1 tablespoons of Tajin seasoning (or chili powder)

2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

Directions

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the ears of corn and rotate until evenly charred on all sides. Remove from pan and place on flat surface to cool slightly. 

2. Mix together mayo, lime juice, salt, and pepper. 

3. Cut each ear into thirds (leave it whole, it won't hurt).

4. Drizzle each ear with the mayo mixture and crumble the cheese evenly over top. 

5. Sprinkle each ear generously with Tajin seasoning (chili powder). 

*Garnish with cilantro.....I hate the stuff so I can't in good conscious officially add it to the recipe, but all recipes are open to interpretation. 

6. Grab and Eat!

 

Tips and Combinations

A lot of recipes for this corn use Mexican Crema instead of mayo/sour cream and traditionally use cojita cheese in place of my twist of queso fresco. I prefer the consistency that mayo provides as the base and the cheese is basically chef's choice. 

Now back to my story of not eating street foods..... I would like to give a few tips on how to eat cheap on the street. First, I would never buy from a random vendor. You should at least be familiar with the person, and hopefully, they frequent the location. Second, if possible stick to major events. Usually, vendors with carts have registered with the event, so if you have a problem you can find out more information on the business. Third, ask about the ingredients. If they can't tell you what all goes into anything then it is a hard pass. 

I know everyone has a hustle, but to me, food needs to be monitored with care. If you wouldn't eat it out of convenience then don't do it at all.

What a preachy recipe about corn this one has become..... Go out and cook this corn, but if you buy it that is okay too, as long as it is a reputable source. 

Cook.Discuss.Reflect

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