Elote Corn "Ribs"
These easy to eat corn "spears" are packed with flavor and a nod to the Mexican street food called Elote which is a grilled corn cob smothered in a rich mayo-based sauce. This is a unique twist on a summer staple and is sure to please your BBQ guests! The recipe doubles easily if you want to feed a large crowd.
Ingredients
- 4 whole corn on the cob, shucked and cleaned
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 Tbsp Mexican seasoning (such as McCormick's), divided
- 1 tsp smoked paprika, divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 1 Tbsp Tajin seasoning (typically found in the International section of the grocery aisle)
- ¼ cup lite mayo
- ¼ cup lite sour cream
- 2 Tbsp crumbled Cotija or Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Stand one corn cob upright on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, (and an abundance of caution), cut the cob lenghtwise down the middle. Then cut each half cob in half to make four equal quarters. Repeat with each cob.
- In a small bowl, add olive oil, half the Mexican seasoning, half the smoked paprike, and half the garlic powder. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I suggest ¼ tsp of each but depending upon your Mexican seasoning, you might want more or less.)
- Brush each corn "rib" generously with spiced olive oil (you may have some extra depending upon the size of your corn cobs). Place corn pieces on a tray.
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. While grill is heating, make the elote sauce.
- To make the elote sauce, mix mayo, sour cream, remaining Mexican seasoning, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, with all of the Tajin seasoning and Cotija cheese (or Parmesan) in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. (If you can't find Tajin seasoning, see note below for an alternative.)
- Place oiled corn pieces cut side down on the grill. Close the lid and grill for 8-10 minutes until the edges start to char. Then flip the spears to the other cut side and grill for another 6-10 minutes wiht the lid open. Corn kernels should start to wrinkle slightly and edges will char. The ribs should start to get soft and will bend when picked up.
- Once done cooking, remove from the grill and place in a single layer on a tray. Brush immediately with elote sauce. Garnish with additional Cotija or Parmesan cheese if desired. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Tajin seasoning is a beloved spice blend from Mexico that pairs the slight heat of chili powder with the citrusy pop of lime. As it's increasing in popularity in the United States, more and more grocery stores carry Tajin in the International aisles with other traditional Mexican pantry items. If you can't find Tajin, you can easily make a substitute that is just as flavorful. Mix two teaspoons of chili powder with one teaspoon of Mexican seasoning and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add this seasoning mixture to the other ingredients in the elote sauce. Then squeeze the juice from half a lime and mix well.
Cotija is a salty cheese usually found in blocks in the refrigerated section of the grocery store with the other artisanal cheeses. It crumbles easily, especially if it's chilled first. If you can't find Cotija cheese, you can easily substitute with crumbled Parmesan cheese.