Mexican Inspired "Esquilotes" Grilled Corn With Avocado and Fresh Cheese
A mash up of classic Mexican corn-based street foods Esquites and Elotes
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Sometimes I worry I’ll never be allowed into certain countries if the border guard reads this Substack.
Because I do tend to muck about with recipes. Thai-inspired carrot soudles comes to mind. There ain’t nothing authentically Thai about those.
To be fair, I never claim I make authentic foods and then whack in a load of non-authentic ingredients. Rather, I like to take inspiration from somewhere else and adapt the recipe based on what I can get my hands on.
It’s why I use the word “inspired” a lot.
This recipe is another inspired dish, this time inspired by classic Mexican corn-based street foods esquites and elotes.
I don’t live in Mexico or anywhere near it. The Mexican deli down my street has alas recently closed down. And my local supermarket doesn’t exactly stock much other than Portuguese ingredients. If you want 17 pounds of salt cod, you’ve got it. Mexican fresh cheese? Not so much.
But hey, that’s what we do here at TCP. We take the basis of a recipe, we adapt it to what we have available to us (whilst sticking to key food principles) and create something that works. Even if it’s entirely different from the authentic recipe.
So. Onto the Esquilotes.
Esquites and elotes are two well-known corn-based Mexican street foods. Both make use of smoky grilled sweetcorn with different toppings. Often mayonnaise, lime juice, chilli pepper, and fresh cheese.
The difference is that Elotes are grilled on the cob whereas Esquites are cooked off it.
The reason I’ve portmanteau’d the two is that you can make this dish either way depending on what you have available to you. Here in Portugal for instance, I can only find boiled corn on the cob or canned sweetcorn. Nothing fresh.
Back in the UK it was fresh corn on the cob and frozen sweetcorn.
What sort of corn you use is up to you, I’ve given instructions for all types. The key to making it good is to get a smoky char on the kernels. You can do this either on a BBQ or the stovetop depending on what you have.
Then there’s the cheese. Mexican cheese isn’t available here but we do have fresh sheep’s cheese or feta. As always, the variation section contains plenty of different cheesy options.
Most esquites or elotes use mayonnaise. I have to admit, unless mayonnaise is used in tuna and / or egg mayo sandwich, I’m not a fan. Hey, we all have our weird food things.
So I’ve swapped it out for avocado that you can make in three different ways:
Classic Guacamole
Avocado crema
Venuzuelan Guasacaca
My favourite is the crema, but you do you.
And if you’re a mayonnaise fan, go right ahead.
Serves 4 as a side or appetizer
Esquilotes
4 corn on the cob or approximately 350g / 2 cups frozen or canned sweetcorn
Feta cheese
Chilli powder / smoked paprika
Avo option no. 1 — Guacamole
1 medium-sized avocado mashed with a fork
A handful of fresh coriander finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
Optional — one ripe tomato and a chunk of white onion, both finely chopped
Salt to taste
Avo option no. 2 — Avocado Crema
1 medium-sized avocado
A handful of fresh coriander
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 dessertspoons of natural yoghurt, creme fraiche or soured cream.
Salt to taste
Avo option no. 3 — Guasacaca
1 ripe avocado
1 small wedge of medium white onion
1/4 small green bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed (optional)
Half a jalapeño chilli (optional)
Coriander — a small handful
Parsley — a small handful
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Make your avocado sauce
Guacamole — I like to keep my guacamole chunky. Use a fork to mash up the avocado then add all other ingredients and mix.
Avocado crema — this is best smooth so use a hand blender to zip up all ingredients
Guasacaca — again this is best smooth so zip it all up with a hand blender.
Prepare your corn
Frozen sweetcorn — defrost and drain on a piece of kitchen towel
Canned sweetcorn — drain on a piece of kitchen towel
Boiled corn on the cob — if you’re making Esquites, shave off the corn using a sharp knife and roughly chop. If you’re making Elotes on the cob, no preparation needed.
Fresh corn on the cob — best for Elotes on the cob and grilled on a BBQ. No preparation needed.
Making Esquilotes on the stove
Best for: frozen and canned sweetcorn or boiled sweetcorn
Heat a frying pan on a high heat. Whack in a slug of cooking oil.
Once the oil is hot, add your sweetcorn and a pinch of salt. It’ll spit a little.
Leave the sweetcorn alone for a minute or two before turning over the cobs (or stirring the kernels) and leaving it again. You want to get some smoky char on each kernel which won’t happen if you move the sweetcorn about too much.
Keep an eye on the heat and the level of char on the corn. Mine take around 5-6 minutes to develop a nice golden colour but that will depend on the corn you use and the level of heat you use.
Once the kernels have gone golden, tip out onto a serving platter. If you’re using boiled cobs, lay them on a plate.
Add dollops of your avocado sauce.
Sprinkle with feta and shake a small amount of chilli powder.
Making Esquilotes on the BBQ
Best for: fresh corn on the cob
Fire up the grill on a medium to high heat.
Slather the corn on the cobs with oil and salt
Grill on each side until charred.
Serve as above. You can either keep them on the cob (Elotes), or shave the kernels off with a sharp knife (Esquites).
The cheese
OG esquites and elotes use Mexican Cotija. If you can find it, you can use it. Otherwise, many fresh cheeses will work including:
Feta
Queso fresco
Other fresh sheep or cow’s cheese
Ricotta
Mozzarella finely chopped
Other toppings
Lime wedges
Fresh sprigs of coriander
Jalapeños
Fresh finely chopped chilli
The avocado
If you’re not an avocado person, you can go old school and add a squirt of mayonnaise to your corn. Mix it in before sprinkling on the cheese and chilli powder.
I often serve esquilotes as an appetizer but you can make it into a bigger meal by:
Adding tortilla chips
Wrapping it up in flour tortillas
Using it as taco toppings
Putting it on the side of pork carnitas
Stuffing it into arepas
Use leftover corn in:
Use leftover fresh cheese in:
Albanian Fergese (tomato, pepper and feta dip)
Roasted green vegetables with bulgur wheat
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I love her recipes and the way she gives ideas for variations on them.
Love your recipes and their variations