Elote
325kcal8.1g protein25.2g fat20.7g carbs~$1.01/ serving*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains dairy, egg · sometimes contains gluten, soy — check the label
Restrictions
Containsdairy · eggIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Sometimes contains — check the labelgluten (chili (powder)) · soy (Mayonnaise)Some brands have it, some do not. The recipe cannot tell, so this is the one you check yourself.
Diets
VegetarianPescatarianNo porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 2 unit |  corn (ears, husked and silked) |
| 3 tbsp |  mayonnaise |
| 2 tbsp |  sour cream |
| ⅓ cup |  cotija (crumbled or finely grated) |
| ¾ tsp |  chili powder |
| 1 unit |  lime (cut in wedges) |
| 1 tbsp |  cilantro (chopped) |
| ¼ tsp | salt |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| 1 tbsp |  butter (melted) |
| ¼ tsp |  cayenne pepper |
| 1 tsp |  hot sauce |
Steps
- Prep4 mindryhusk the corn, pull off every strand of silk, and pat the ears completely dry — surface water has to boil off before the kernels can brown, and a wet ear spends its whole time on the grill steaming instead of charring
- Mix2 minroom temperaturemayonnaise + sour cream + salt, whisked smooth = the coating; the mayo is already an oil-in-water emulsion, so it clings to hot kernels where melted butter would just run off, and its fat is what carries the chili powder onto the tongue
- Grill10 mindirect high heat, uncovered, quarter-turn every 2-3 mincorn on a clean dry grate, no oil — the kernels' own sugars and proteins brown at contact, and each quarter-turn gives you a fresh face while the cooked one rests; the kernels should go from matte yellow to glossy and plumped
- Char2 minhottest spot, watching closelycorn pressed onto the hottest bars until scattered kernels blister black and pop — this is deliberate, not overcooking: those blistered kernels are caramelized sugar and toasted protein, and without perhaps a dozen of them per ear the dish tastes only of dairy
- Top2 minhot off the grillhot ears brushed all over with the coating + rolled in cotija so the residual heat softens the crumbles without melting them — cotija is a dry salted curd, so it stays grainy and salty rather than turning to grease + chili powder dusted on + cilantro
- Season1 minat the table+ lime squeezed over just before eating; the acid is added last because it dulls within a minute or two of hitting warm fat, and because squeezing it on early makes the cotija weep