Mexican corn on the cob on the Grill
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Throughout the summer, corn is a staple for cookouts on the grill, but I decided to add a twist to corn on the cob. I made Elote, which is a traditional Mexican snack often served at festivals and food trucks.
The process of making elote is a bit different than regular corn on the cob- the corn shouldn’t be shucked completely, but in a way that allows the husk to be used as a handle when grilling and eating the corn. I liked this way because it looks good on the camera, but elote is often served on a wooden skewer. The skewers must be soaked in water for a bit before grilling, so they won’t burn. When grilling the corn, leaving the husks or skewers hanging outside of the grill will also prevent burning, and allows you to move the corn around easier. I also like to brush butter on the corn while grilling, to add flavor and help the cooking. After grilling, I squeeze fresh lime on top, followed by crumbled parmesan cheese. The recipe calls for cotija, a traditional Mexican cheese, but I find that using crumbled parmesan works just fine for the corn and is a bit easier to buy in stores. The sauce is a mix of sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime, which I use a squeeze-bottle for. These squeeze bottles are really helpful in a lot of shoots, with this one being no exception. After the sauce, I garnish the corn with chili powder and fresh cilantro- and the elote is ready to eat.
Elote works really well as an appetizer as it’s very easy to make and very filling. It also works well for groups or quick snacks, as they’re easy to hold with the stick and eat while being able to walk around.
Mexican recipes
Though very easy to make, this shoot was a bit tougher, since I had to use a grill, which is located above my studio. I can’t use a grill in my downstairs basement, so for shoots that require grilling, I must constantly move food, props, and cameras between the downstairs and outside. Shucking the corn was another challenge, as it’s time-consuming to shuck the corn in a way that doesn’t completely take off the husk. In the future, I’d consider just using shish kebab skewers instead.
Grilled Mexican Street Corn Elote
Equipment
- Bakers twine
Ingredients
- 6 ears fresh corn
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 lime
- 1/4 cup butter melted
Garnish
- 2 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 tbsp red chili powder
Instructions
- Shackle years of corn leaving the husks attached. Tie husks together with bakers twine and brush corn with melted butter.
- Grill corn on the grill, turning and brushing with melted butter until corn gets slightly charred.
- In a small bowl mix sour cream, mayonnaise. Brush mix on corn and season with a garnish of lime juice, Parmesan, red chili powder, and cilantro.
Video
Food photography props used in this photoshoot
Some of the props might no longer be available in stores. I selected props as close as possible to match those items.
Sarape runner https://amzn.to/2Yh4JQj
Sombrero https://amzn.to/2Ygmz63
Fake cactus https://amzn.to/2DUIOXl
Margarita glasses https://amzn.to/2Has3tt
Acrylic ice https://amzn.to/2HbkGlB
Fiesta maracas https://amzn.to/2VnZBNr
White metal tray https://amzn.to/2Epb3yd
Scissors https://amzn.to/2VvPR3X
Black plate https://amzn.to/2FjySaH
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