Directions

Prepare the corn

Peel the husks away from the corn. Remove the thin, inner, light green husks but leave the

darker and thicker husks attached to the ear as you peel it back. Peel off and discard the

fine silky corn threads. Gather the attached husks into a ‘ponytail’ and tie off in the middle

with a piece of string. Trim the ends so you have about a 5/6-inch fabricated ‘husk-handle’.

(I have seen pictures where this ‘husk-ponytail’ is braided...but I don’t have enough skills for

this trick!)

Set the prepared corn aside on a sheet pan.

Prepare the mayo sauce

Add the mayonnaise to a medium bowl. Add the lime juice, the mashed garlic, the chili

and onion powders and pinch of cayenne. If you have a Fresno pepper, split the pepper in

half. Remove the stem, seeds and inner membrane. Cut the two pepper-halves into thin slivers

and then finely dice the slivers. Measure 1 tablespoon of diced Fresno pepper (if using)

and add to the mayo. Save the rest to garnish the platter of corn at the end.

Add 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro to the mayo. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust

seasonings to your liking. (Know that setting it aside for 20 minutes while the corn cooks will

develop the flavors.) Thinly slice the scallion greens and set aside for garnish. Save the white

parts of the scallions for another use.

Grill the corn over medium heat. Turn often. Turn often (!). Depending on the size of the

‘ear’ completely grilling the corn can take about 12-16 minutes. We are looking for a

nice char, but not completely blackened. The ‘husk-handles’ will get charred also. When

you are confident that the corn is cooked, take each ear off the grill and put it back

onto the sheet pan. Use a pastry brush and liberally brush the corn with the prepared

mayo. Turn the corn as you are coat each ear with the mayo-sauce.

Spread the Cotija cheese out on another sheet pan in a thin layer. One-by-one add

the mayo-coated ears to the ‘cheese-sheet pan’ and roll the ears to completely coat

with the grated Cotija. Use a pair on tongs to make it less messy.

To Serve: Lay all the coated ears of corn on a platter. I did not add any additional salt

because I found the Cotija cheese I used to be a bit salty to my taste. But do as your

palate dictates! Add some fresh ground black pepper. Garnish with the chopped scallion

greens, the remaining chopped cilantro and the remaining diced Fresno peppers,

if using. Add the cut lime wedges to the platter as well.