Esquites is a an off the cob version of elotes – grilled Mexican Street Corn smothered in creamy, chile lime sauce and served in a cup.
Back when we lived in California, the corn man used to come down our neighborhood, pushing a shopping cart as he honked his bicycle horn.
Everyone dropped what they were doing and ran outside. We patiently waited for him as he shoved a beautiful ear of sweet corn on a stick, and slathered on mayo, butter, chile, and lime – whatever your heart desired. It was the best dollar anyone could ever spend. Everyone looked for him between the hours of 3 and 4 pm.
He never missed a day – you could even hear him on major holidays like Christmas, even Thanksgiving.
That was tremendous.
Then we moved back to Arizona. Though we may not miss much from our California days, that’s one of the things that we still think about often.
I’m not sure if the corn man (or, elote man) is here in the Phoenix area. Perhaps he is. I certainly wish he made it out to East Mesa. My kids would be the first customers standing on the curb waving dollar bills in the hot, Arizona sun.
With the onset of summer, comes sweet corn. Chances are that your CSA will have sweet corn like ours does. If you can get your hands on this amazing corn from them, you will want to enjoy street corn with your family too.
Mexican Street Corn in a Cup (Esquites)
Use your Instant Pot to cook up sweet corn in minutes (with NO fuss!) and eat on a stick smothered in mayo, chile, butter and sriracha sauce. Or make Mexican street corn in a cup (esquites) by cutting the corn off the cob and throwing in a cup.
Add a dollop of mayo, butter, and fresh cheese, and sprinkle with a little Tajin.
Y’all — I love me some Tajin.
You’ll get the same incredible taste as that street corn from the corn man slathered in your favorite toppings. But instead – it’s in a cup. And you don’t have to worry about chowing down to look up and have food smeared all over your face.
It’s so good!
You can incorporate Mexican steet corn in a cup (commonly referred to as esquites) at your next barbecue too. It’ll be everyone’s new favorite. Or, find any of 40 fresh corn recipes to try at your next BBQ.
Mexican Street Corn in a Cup (Esquites)
Ingredients
- 4 ears of sweet corn husked and silk removed
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 4 Tbsp mayonnaise or, opt for Mexican sour cream
- 5 Tbsp crumbled queso fresco
Optional
- salt and lime wedges
- 1 Tbsp chile lime powder Tajin brand
Instructions
- Cook your sweet corn in your Instant Pot (see here) or, boil in medium/high on the stove for 5-7 minutes.
- Using a serrated knife, remove the kernels from the corn... you want the corn to be hot as you divide it between 4 cups/glasses.
- Put 1 Tbsp mayo and 1 Tbsp butter on the top of each glass... the hot corn should encourage the butter and mayo to melt nicely into the corn.
- Then take a spoon and gently mix into the corn.
- Sprinkle with cheese, chile powder and salt - if desired, the juice of a lime. Enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
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