Transform Canned Corn Into An Elote Bowl For A New Twist

Of all the street foods, elote is certainly a popular one. The food originated in Mexico but has become well-known around the world. Although the spiced, cheesy corn on the cob may be ordered in some restaurants, it's also fairly easy to prepare at home. Making a traditional elote involves grilling corn on the cob, then brushing it with a little bit of mayonnaise. It's then flavored with chili powder, crumbled cotija cheese, and cayenne pepper. For an added burst of acidity, you can add on some lime juice for a finishing touch.

If you aren't a fan of eating corn on the cob or you just want to use up the can of corn that's been long-forgotten in the back of your pantry, you can use canned corn for a bowl full of elote flavors. All you'll need to do is roast your canned corn, then mix it in with the standard elote toppings before digging in.

While you can mix up a single serving just for yourself to enjoy, the corn could also make an excellent side dish for taco night.

If you want that same slightly smoky flavor that you'd get from grilling your corn, you can still achieve it with the canned variety. Just drain the liquid from the can after it's opened, and dry the corn as best you can. Then toss the corn with a little bit of oil, and spread it out on a sheet pan to roast in the oven or in a pan on the stovetop. You can even add in a little splash of liquid smoke for more flavor.

While your corn is roasting, you can combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, seasonings, and cotija cheese in a separate bowl. Once the corn is done and slightly cooled, you can pour it in the bowl and mix it around until each piece is evenly coated. Then, you can simply grab a fork and dig in to your delicious side dish. The bowl will combine all the elote's flavors without the mess of eating corn on the cob. This Mexican street corn salad is also called esquites.

Of course, you can stick to the most common elote ingredients when making your Mexican street corn salad. But if you want to amplify the flavors even more, you can bulk up the bowl with some rice, protein, and other toppings to make it more like a burrito bowl. Just remember to keep your corn as the star of the show if you want to really amplify the elote aspect of the dish. 

You can also use that canned corn to create a Mexican street corn-inspired chip dip. Mix the roasted canned corn, mayonnaise, spices, lime juice, and cheese with a little bit of cream cheese and sour cream to make the dip a little creamier. Garnish the dip with a little bit of cilantro, grab some tortilla chips, and scoop up the dip to eat.

The next time you're craving some elote, just grab a can of corn and a bowl to make a simplified version of the street food.