How To Make Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)

Elote is the Spanish word for "cob," and the grilled ears of corn by the same name are a popular street food in Mexico. Make your own authentic Mexican corn elotes at home by following a few simple steps.

Start by husking the ears of corn and removing the silks. If you want to, you can even drive a wooden skewer into the flat end of the corn, creating a handle at the end of the cob — just be sure to sharpen the end of the skewer that you're pushing directly into the corn.

Then, heat your grill to medium-high heat and brush the grates with vegetable oil to prevent the corn from sticking. If you don't have an outdoor grill, you can use an indoor, cast-iron grill pan instead. Grill the corn, turning it occasionally, until it is lightly charred, about 10 minutes.

As soon as the corn is removed from the grill, brush a light coating of mayonnaise onto each and then sprinkle the elotes with cotija cheese and a pinch each of chile powder and cayenne. Squeeze some fresh lime juice over each elote and serve warm.

Click here for our best elote recipes.

Kristie Collado is The Daily Meal's Cook Editor. Follow her on Twitter @KColladoCook.