Achaars

Grilled Mexican Street Corn

Elotes are a popular street snack in Mexico that combine many of my favorite flavors; sweet corn slathered in a creamy sauce, topped with salty, tangy cheese and finished with a drizzle of hot sauce.

I made this version with garlic achaar and noted some substitutions when crema or cotija are (unfortunately!) difficult to find state-side.

Note: While I love how summery and celebratory eating corn off the cob feels, I know it can often be messy or hard to transport to picnics. Elotes can easily be turned into esquites which has all the same ingredients, but with the corn kernels removed from the cob for eating with a spoon or fork!

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup crema, yogurt, or sour cream

1/2 cup finely crumbled cotija or feta cheese, plus more for serving

1-2 tablespoons Roasted Garlic Achaar

Salt, to taste

1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

4 ears shucked corn

Guntur Sannam Hot Sauce

Method

Set ears of corn on grill or indoor grill over high heat.

While cooking, combine mayonnaise, crema/yogurt/sour cream, cheese, garlic achaar, and cilantro in a large bowl.

Stir until homogeneous, crushing any large lumps of garlic. Salt to taste, and set aside.

Rotate the corn and grill on all sides.

For elotes: Transfer corn to bowl with sauce mixture and use a large spoon to evenly coat corn on all sides with mixture. Sprinkle with extra cheese and hot sauce and serve immediately with lime wedges.

For esquites: Cut the corn kernels off cobs and mix with sauce in a bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly, then top with an extra sprinkle of cheese, a dash of hot sauce, and serve with lime wedges