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!
What do I put in my esquites?
- grilled corn
- mayo
- lime zest
- lime juice
- cotija cheese
- charred jalapeno
- cilantro
- guajillo chile powder
- scallions
What if I don’t have all the ingredients for esquites (aka elote in a bowl)?
No worries! The important element is corn (in my opinion) and the other ingredients can be swapped out or excluded depending on your preference. The best time to make this dish is in the summer during corn season but if you can’t find fresh corn I would recommend substituting frozen corn kernels and heating the corn over high heat in a cast iron to get some char on the kernels. If you don’t like mayo, I would do a combo of sour cream/mayo or greek yogurt/mayo. I would not recommend doing all greek yogurt–it just doesn’t taste the same! If you can’t find cotija cheese, you can use crumbled feta or grated pecorino as a substitute. If you can’t find guajillo chile then use chili powder, chipotle powder or cayenne powder to garnish the dish!
How do I serve esquites (aka elote in a bowl)?
After you mix the corn and the ingredients you can let it hang out at room temperature until you’re ready to serve. If you want you can serve it slightly warm but you want to mix everything right before your serve. Lastly, I wouldn’t be opposed to eating is cold, so it’s really up to you!
Here’s some other dishes that go perfectly with esquites:
Spice Rubbed Grilled Chicken
Vegetarian Chili
Green Chile Turkey Burger
Vegetarian Chile Rellenos
Esquites (aka elote in a bowl) are perfect for an outdoor BBQ, a delicious side dish for Taco Tuesday or even to go with a grilled piece of fish and steak. I can’t wait for you to make esquites all summer long!
Esquites (aka Elote in a Bowl)
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
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!
