

Grilled Mexican Street Corn by Foodie’s Chef Laura Brennan
July 23, 2021
Truth-be-told I have neither seen nor eaten Mexican Street Corn in Mexico; only at a carnival
in Rhode Island! But, it’s an easy and fun dish to serve at your own backyard carnival.
Pulling the husks up and over the peeled ears of corn and tying them ‘ponytail-style’ gives
you a convenient ‘hand-holder’. Plus, it looks very cool.
- Prep: 20 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
6 ears corn, not shucked
1 cup prepared mayonnaise (I like Hellman’s)
juice of 1⁄2 lime (slice the remaining lime-half into wedges for a garnish)
1 clove (medium) garlic, peeled and mashed to a paste with the side of your knife 2 teaspoons
chili powder
1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Optional: 1 small red jalapeno (Fresno) pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (about 1⁄4 bunch), separated
2 scallions, washed & dried and separated into green and white parts
10-12 ounces (about 1 1⁄2 cups) grated COTIJA cheese
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste
Light the grill or prepare the coals. You will be cooking the corn over medium heat.
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.