Mexican Street Corn Dip (Elote Appetizer)

Takin’ It To The Streets

Mexican Street Corn Dip (Elote Appetizer)

Starter

A friend from Arizona made this delectable dip from the Elote Café in Sedona to bring to a party at our house, and we have been making it ever since. Elote is classic Mexican street food of grilled corn on the cob slathered in a spicy mayo and/or sour cream sauce and coated with Cotija cheese, cilantro and chili powder. I think this recipe may be technically more of an esquites, which is elote cut off the cob and frequently served in individual cups. You say elote, I say esquites!

The most time-consuming part is grilling your corn before mixing it up for one of the best appetizers you will ever serve.

Speaking of grilling the corn, everyone has a preferred method so use your favorite, the corn just needs to be cooked through with a little char for caramelization. Personally, I like to wrap shucked corn cobs in a damp dish or paper towel and microwave for about 5 minutes and then grill until charred in spots on all sides. The corn can be grilled ahead of time then cooled and cut from the cob, covered and refrigerated until ready to use.

Mai Tai Tracy Tip for cutting the corn off the cob without it flying all over. Put a damp folded towel or pot holder under a Bundt cake pan so it doesn’t slide along the counter. Holding the corn carefully (and keeping your fingers out of the way), stand one end of the husked corn in the center hole of a Bundt cake pan, cut down the sides so that the kernels are captured in the pan.

Depending on what heat level you prefer, you can toss in a finely diced Jalapeño or Serrano chili pepper. Speaking of heat, use your favorite hot sauce. The Elote Café recipe uses Cholula brand hot sauce. Here in MaiTai Tracy’s Kitchen, our favorite is Lottie’s Traditional Barbados Yellow Hot Pepper Sauce. However, for my spice-impaired friends, I tend to go with Cholula Green Pepper hot sauce or Trader Joe’s Green Dragon hot sauce.

Last but not least, you will need a super sturdy tortilla chip to scoop up this corn deliciousness. Make your own or purchase some freshly made tortilla chips at your local Mexican market like we do (shout out to Vallarta Supermarkets here in Southern California!). 

I like to make and serve this in a cast iron skillet and garnish with crumbled Cotija, cilantro and a sprinkling of chili powder (medium hot, of course). But my favorite topping is red onions quick pickled in lime juice. This will be the best appetizer you have eaten all summer … well, only if you like corn and mayo of course!

Ingredients:

6 ears of sweet corn, grilled (see note above), cooled and cut from the cob
1 cup good mayonnaise 
(I prefer Best Foods … or Hellmann’s for those of you East of the Rockies)
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon of your favorite hot sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 Jalapeño or Serrano pepper, seeds and stems removed and finely chopped (optional)
¼ cup chicken broth (to thin if necessary)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Sturdy tortilla chips for dipping

Garnish:

¼ cup (or more) grated or crumbled Cotija cheese
Your favorite chili powder
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Red onions quick pickled in lime juice (optional)

Directions:

Grill the corn until cooked through and beginning to char. Once the grilled corn has cooled, carefully cut it from the cob.

In a cast iron skillet or medium sauté pan over medium-low heat, combine the corn kernels, mayonnaise, lime juice, hot sauce, sugar, Jalapeño or Serrano chili (if using) until heated through. Thin with chicken broth if it seems too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To garnish and serve, top with the crumbled Cotija cheese. Lightly sprinkle with chili powder. Top with pickled red onions if using and finish with the cilantro. Serve warm with tortilla chips for scooping.

Recipe lightly adapted from Elote Café Cookbook