Cinco de Mayo is almost here!! I absolutely love Mexican food, and my favorite thing – besides tacos of course – is street corn! I’ll take anyone’s version of this stuff. The one thing I hate though is eating it off the cob. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not embarrassed about going in on messy food in public. I will order ribs or bone-in wings faster than you can say “embarrassing”, but it’s always a hassle eating corn off the cob because some of it naturally gets stuck in your teeth.
With that being said, this recipe was born out of my love for street corn and my desire to not fool with the cob! It has alllll the flavor – and then some, without the hassle and mess. This is actually one of my most requested recipes. Whenever I make it for a party, I always get asked for this recipe at least once.
The best part about this dish is – it starts out with a simple bag of frozen sweet corn! Heat a tablespoon of oil inside a non-stick skillet and pour the frozen corn right in the pan. You’ll cook it over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to char. Depending on your stove, this could take anywhere from 7-15 minutes.
Once it starts to char, let it cook another 1-3 minutes and then remove it from the heat and mix in all the good stuff. I recommend stirring together all the other ingredients in one bowl, then waiting to mix it into the corn until right before serving. This is not a dish you want sitting on low heat for a while, because it has cheese and mayo in it which break down over time when you combine with heat. So if you need to make this ahead, mix together all ingredients except the corn, wrap it and stick it in the fridge till you’re ready to serve. You can keep the charred corn warm on an eye until then.
The sauce mixture has so much flavor in it and a touch of heat! Its base is red onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro. If you want to amp up the heat, you can add cayenne pepper and leave the seeds and membranes in your jalapeno.
Then you mix in Duke’s Mayo, Cotija cheese, lime juice, and seasonings. This is what the mixture looks like when finished.
A quick note about cheese: There’s a reason why I specifically recommend Cotija cheese here. It’s basically a Mexican Parmesan, it’s hard, salty, and crumbly. You CAN use any cheese you want, but if you use a “melty” cheese, it will create a gooey effect and the corn will turn out messy and not as presentable. It will still taste fine though, so if you can’t find Cotija cheese in your grocery store, you could try feta which is similar, or just regular shredded cheddar. Cotija crumbles but doesn’t create a “cheese pull” effect when melted.
Doesn’t this just make you want to mix up a spicy margarita, grab a spoon, and sit on a patio somewhere? This would be a great addition to your Cinco de Mayo party, or just any taco night. Enjoy!
Mexican Street Corn
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 12 oz frozen sweet corn
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup Duke’s Mayo
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese
- 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a non-stick skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add frozen corn to skillet and cook until it starts to char. This takes about 5-7 minutes for a slight char.
- While the corn is cooking, mix together all other ingredients in a small bowl. When the corn is charred to your liking, remove from heat and add the sauce mixture to the skillet. Stir until well combined and serve immediately.
