Esquites
Esquites (also known as elote en vaso and Mexican street corn salad) is the best street food snack made of corn in a creamy mayo sauce!
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels, cut off the cob (about 4 medium ears of corn)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, minced (seeds removed if you don't want it spicy)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese, plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)
- Chili powder, to taste
- 1 teaspoon paprika, optional
- 1 teaspoon chili lime seasoning, optional
- Lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter, fresh corn kernels, garlic, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
- Add the mayonnaise, cotija cheese, cilantro, salt, and lime juice. Add the chili powder and optional ingredients if using. Mix until fully combined. Taste and season with more salt and mayonnaise if desired.
- Garnish with chili powder to your liking, a lime wedge, and a sprinkle cotija cheese.
- Serve immediately in individual portions.
Video
Notes
- Heat level: The amount of chili powder you use is entirely up to you. When you buy esquites from a street food vendor, the chili powder is usually in a little jar on the side of their cart, and you have to season it to your liking. So when you make it at home, I recommend sprinkling a good amount of chili powder on your serving, mixing it all together, tasting it, and then adding more until you think it’s just right. If you want it extra spicy, I recommend using ground cayenne.
- Jalapeño: If you want to make your esquites spicy, leave in the seeds of the jalapeño. You could also use serrano peppers instead for even more heat.
- Grilling: To give the esquites a delicious smoky flavor, grill the corn on the cob first. Then, slice the kernels off and add all the mix-ins.
- Cilantro: If you don’t like cilantro, you can omit it completely, and it will still be delicious!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 527mg | Potassium: 263mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1091IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 1mg