Smoky Grilled Mexican Street Corn Recipe

Mexican street corn has taken the world by storm, and there's a good reason for it — it's totally delicious! While this corn pairs well with a Mexican meal, we here at The Daily Meal think that it goes great as a side with pretty much anything. If you go to a Mexican restaurant, chances are you will see this on the menu. But if the craving hits and you don't have a reservation, why not make it at home? It's super easy and tastes just as good as what you would order when you're out. 

Recipe developer Jaime Shelbert of Wholly Nourished came up with this smoky Mexican street corn recipe that boasts a crema sauce and a generous serving of cotija cheese, making it absolutely delicious. "This recipe is the perfect way to level up fresh, in-season corn. Wow your barbecue guests by adding a few extra steps when prepping summer sweet corn," Shelbert says. "This corn is sweet, spicy, salty, and smoky with a bit of tang. This recipe is anything but short on flavor."

To begin, you will need to grab all the necessary ingredients. Pick up extra virgin olive oil, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, limes, smoked paprika, salt, corn, sour cream, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and cilantro.

Once you have those items, you can make this smoky grilled Mexican street corn.

For this step, you will need a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag. Toss in the olive oil, 1 large chipotle pepper, 2 tablespoons lime juice, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and 1 teaspoon salt. Squeeze the bag to mash up the chipotle pepper until it is fully incorporated into the marinade. There still will be a few chunks remaining. "The special trick with this particular recipe is the corn marinade complete with chipotle chili in adobo. The chili adds smokiness, and taking a few extra minutes to create a marinade really seals in flavor," Shelbert notes. 

Add the corn to the bag and seal it. Roll each ear of corn in the bag to coat it with marinade. Then, set the bag aside for the time being.

Grab a bowl and add the sour cream, mayonnaise, remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice, ½ chipotle pepper, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Use a fork or spoon to stir to combine, making sure to break up the chipotle pepper with the fork or back of the spoon.

Since you will use a grill for this recipe, crank up the heat to 400 F. Once it finishes preheating, place the marinated corn cobs straight on the grill. Cook the corn for about 10-12 minutes, flipping it halfway through the cooking time (at the 5-6 minute mark). 

Keep the corn on the grill until it gets nice and charred. Then, remove it from the grill and place it on a serving platter.

Coat each ear of corn with the crema, making sure to turn the corn to coat it thoroughly. Then, top the corn with cotija cheese and cilantro.

Now, you can serve the side to your lucky guests. This makes a wonderful accompaniment to pretty much any main course. Shelbert gives a few great serving suggestions. "Serve this street corn alongside your favorite Mexican dish such as fajitas, tacos, or burritos; however, it goes just as well alongside barbecue chicken as it does pork carnitas," she says.

And, be sure to keep the leftovers. "Although best eaten fresh, this street corn will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. I like to cut it off the cob prior to refrigerating as it makes reheating easier," Shelbert shares.