Mexican Street Corn and Elote Seasoning Blend—Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café

 

I am easily suckered by a good deal.  And most of my good deals are found at the grocery store.  I feel good on those days when the majority of my grocery cart basket is filled with discounted items.  And one of those items last year was some packages of freshly prepared and ready for grilling Mexican street corn. 

I’d never had it before, never made it, never served it to my family.  But you know, I’d heard rumors….

So those packages landed in my cart.

And man, was that stuff ever good.

Naturally, when I ran across a recipe for making the spice blend, I had to investigate.

Turns out, it’s really easy.  We’ll be eating a lot of corn from the garden (hopefully!), even when things collapse.

Mexican Street Corn

8 ears of corn

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

½ cup cilantro, finely chopped

½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled

½ teaspoon chili powder, garnish

Shuck the corn and wrap the corn all together in two layers of heavy duty foil.  (Lacking foil, peel back the husks, remove the silk, and then tie the husks back up over the corn and grill individually.)

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, and cilantro.  Stir to blend.  Set aside.

Partially unwrap the corn and let it cool for a few minutes before spreading the sauce.  Keep the foil under the corn for serving purposes.

Spread on the sauce and sprinkle with cotija cheese and Elote Seasoning, below.

Elote Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-2 packets True Lemon or True Lime, optional

In a small bowl or jar, combine all the ingredients and stir or shake well.  Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place (like the spice cabinet) for up to six months.

When using to make street corn, sprinkle cotija cheese crumbles or grated parmesan over the corn and then sprinkle generously with the elote seasoning.  For additional creaminess, stir some buttermilk powder into the seasoning.  (And then this seasoning must be stored in the refrigerator.)

Links to related posts:

Making Mayonnaise in Challenging Circumstances  

Surprising Shelf Stable Sour Cream Substitute  

Lemon and Lime Juice Options in TEOTWAWKI