What is the difference between street corn and esquites?

So, what's the difference between the two dishes? Well, it all comes down to the corn: elote is corn on the cob, while esquites is served in a bowl or cup . Esquites can also sometimes include additional ingredients that turn the dish into more of a salad instead of remaining 100% corn-focused.

What is the difference between elote en vaso and esquite?

The two dishes taste nearly identical, so it all comes down to how you prefer to eat your corn. If you're looking for less mess, go with esquites. If you prefer to eat with your hands or want the satisfying pop of biting kernels right off the cob, opt for elote.

What does esquites mean in Mexican?

One can find them at local markets, and street vendors selling corn. The word esquites comes from the Nahuatl word ízquitl, which means " toasted corn ".

What is a good substitute for Esquite cheese?

Cotija cheese Cotija is a crumbly, creamy and salty cow's milk cheese. You can find Cotija cheese at well-stocked grocery stores (I buy mine at Whole Foods, near the goat cheese) or Mexican grocers. If you can't find Cotija cheese, feta or Parmesan would be your next best bets.

Why is Mexican street corn so good?

A blend of garlic, cilantro, chile powder, mayo, and Cotija cheese in the sauce, plus a final squeeze of lime, makes the corn sweet, salty, savory, nutty, creamy, and tart all at once .

What is the red stuff in elote?

The classic seasoning for elote is chili powder , but we have also found that we love it with smoked paprika. So maybe do a few cobs with each and see which one you prefer.

Is elote actually Mexican?

The world “elote” means “corn cob” in Spanish, and Mexican Elote is grilled corn on the cob slathered in a mayo cream sauce and garnished with chili powder, cheese and lime . Elotes (and esquites) are as commonly sold from street carts in Mexico as hot dogs are in Manhatten.

What does esquites contain?

Esquites are a popular Mexican snack made from corn mixed with creamy mayonesa (mayonnaise), freshly crumbled cotija cheese or queso fresco, lime juice, and chili powder . It's commonly sold by street vendors in Mexico and is served in a large cup with a spoon to mix all the delicious ingredients together!

What is elote called in Mexico?

Elote, or Mexican corn on the cob , is a popular street food in Mexico (that's why it's also known as Mexican street corn).

Why is elote called street corn?

The origins of street corn lie in the streets of Mexico , where it's known as “elote.” With a history dating back centuries, the indigenous peoples of Mexico prepared this dish before any Europeans landed in the New World.

What is the difference between corn and elote?

What is Elote? While American “grilled corn” traditionally means grilled corn with butter and salt, Mexican grilled corn (elote) is synonymous with grilled corn, enveloped in mayonnaise and Mexican Crema with cilantro, lime and chili powder then rolled in chihuahua or Cotija cheese .

What are the different types of Mexican corn?

Some of the varieties are: Coralillo. Purple corn. Red maize. White maize. Pinto tall. Pinto white. Pinto mosca. Pinto yellow. More items...

Mexican Street Corn Salad (Esquites) Recipe (2024)

Mexican
Gluten-free Sides
Vegetarian Salads
Corn
Quick Sides

All the delights of elotes in salad form, and you don't even have to fire up the grill to make it.

J. Kenji López-Alt

Culinary Consultant

Kenji is the former culinary director for Serious Eats and a current culinary consultant for the site. He is also a New York Times food columnist and the author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science.

Learn about Serious Eats'Editorial Process

Updated September 15, 2022

Why It Works

A combination of garlic, mayonnaise, cheese, lime, and chile in the sauce ensures the salad comes out incredibly flavorful.
Cutting the kernels off the cob first, then cooking them over high heat, allows you to get a nice char on the corn without having to use the grill.

Smoky, sweet, spicy, and tangy,esquitesare the off-the-cob version ofelotes—grilled on-the-cob Mexican street corn slathered with creamy, cheesy, lime-scented, chile-flecked sauce.

Elotes are a staple on my balcony grill over the summer. It's about as easy and inexpensive a dish as you can think of, and there is nothing—really, nothing—that'll get snatched up and eaten as fast as a hot plate of 'em. I'll usually count on making atleastan ear and a half per person.

To speed things up, I'll keep a big bowl of the sauce mixture—that's garlicky mayonnaise, crumbled Cotija cheese (feta or Romano also works well), chopped cilantro, lime juice, and a pinch of chile powder—at the ready. As soon as my corn comes off the grill, all nice, hot, and charred-like, it gets a dunk in the sauce, then a pass-off to a waiting mouth. That first bite of hot, charred corn, when the cheesy sauce inevitably gets smeared all over your cheeks, just tastes of summer to me. Delicious, fat-smothered summer.

But there are times when a more...demure approach must be taken. When there are prim and proper aunts or brand-new ties involved, for instance. On those occasions, I go foresquites, the spoon-ready version of elotes.

Rather than slathering the corn kernels with sauce, you slice the kernels off after cooking and toss them with the sauce, in a sort of hot salad that's decorous enough to consume with impunity in mixed company.

Personally, I tend to make esquites when I don't want to bother firing up the grill, because, truth be told, it's just as tasty and easy to make indoors as it is out. The key to cooking esquites indoors is to remove the corn kernels from the cobbeforeyou cook them. I cook the kernels in a ripping-hotwok(you can use a regular skillet, though it's a bit messier), letting them sit in place until the sugars caramelize and a deep, dark char develops, before tossing and letting them char again.

When this is done right, a few kernels should jump and pop, just like popcorn. I've had kernels leap clear across the apartment on occasion. A careful eye and a splatter guard will protect you from any corn-kernel mortar fire.

Once the corn is charred, I toss it with the remaining ingredients while it's still hot. The salad can be served straight away, but it's just as good at room temperature, making this an ideal picnic dish.

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Click Play to See This Flavorful Mexican Street Corn Salad Come Together

July 2012

Recipe Details