by Lorraine Elliott
Do you love Mexican street corn? This Mexican street corn salad or Esquites is summery goodness in one dish. It’s easy to make and requires just 5 minutes of cooking. It has a wonderful balance of cheese, fresh corn and lime and is definitely a pushy recipe Dear Reader!
Esquites or elote en vasoor (meaning little corn cup) corn salad is usually sold in cups as the name suggests. I remember eating this outside Elotes La Esperanza outside the Fuel City petrol station in Dallas, Texas. Elotes is the name for grilled corn on the cob while Esquites is the corn off the cob and served in this fashion.
Inside the Fuel City is a taco shop called Fuel City Tacos which sells delicious tacos 24/7. The tacos and the fresh corn salad go so well together. Esquites is usually made with older, mature corn that has been boiled and is then cooked in butter and seasonings. Then it is served with layers of crema or sour cream or mayonnaise, lime juice, cotija cheese and chilli.
How To Choose Sweetcorn: The best corn to buy is one that is completely wrapped in the silks and husk. I’m finding nowadays this is how corn is sold although it used to be topped and tailed with a strip of the husk removed to show the yellow kernels. This corn has a shorter fridge life and corn with the silks and husks can last up to 2 weeks in the crisper. I store them there loose, not in a plastic bag.
The corn should be heavy for its weight with firm kernels when you grab it. The husk should be a bright green. As the corn gets older the outer husks fall off and yellow and some develop spots of mould and the kernels are less plump. One of my favourite types of corn that you sometimes see is white corn which is so sweet and juicy. There’s also Peaches and Cream Corn which is a hybrid with yellow and white kernels.
Easy substitutes for Cotija cheese: Cotija cheese is very difficult to source in Australia. It is an aged cow’s milk cheese from Mexico. You can use ricotta salata, halloumi or feta cheese in its place.
Preparation time: 10 minutes plus 10 minutes cooling time
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4 as a side dish
- 3 corn cobs or 450g/1lb corn kernels
- 60g/2ozs. butter or oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and diced
- 1 red chilli, diced
- 1/2 cup chopped chives
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/2 clove garlic, grated
- 100g/3.5ozs. cotija or halloumi
- 3 tablespoons coriander or cilantro leaves
- 2 limes, one halved and one quartered
- Salt and pepper
- A few drops hot sauce
- Smoked paprika to season
Step 1 – First remove the kernels from the corn. Remove the husks and silks from the corn, brush well to ensure that there are no remaining silks and then stand the cob vertically thicker side down on a large plate and remove the kernels with a sharp knife. You should end up with around 3 cups or 450g/1lb of kernels.
Step 2 – Heat a frypan and add half of the butter or oil. Fry the corn, garlic and chilli adding more if needed. Cook for 5-6 minutes.
Step 3 – While it is cooking, in a bowl make the garlic and lime crema. Add the sour cream, mayonnaise and garlic together and squeeze in half the lime juice and stir. Allow the corn mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes. Stir in the crema and add the other half of the lime juice, grated cheese, coriander/cilantro and season with salt and pepper and hot sauce (I sometimes add a pinch of sugar if the corn isn’t sweet enough). Finish with smoked paprika and serve with quartered limes so that people can add more lime juice if they want.
https://www.notquitenigella.com/2020/12/30/mexican-street-corn-salad-esquites/