This should come as no surprise to you at all, but we had Mexican for dinner the other night.
I know. I know. That’s nothing new. It’s my mission in life to convert my family into a bunch of Mexican food lovers. I’m succeeding. Slowly, but surely.
I’ve often served Elotes for dinner (grilled corn on the cob, rubbed in some lime juice, and then rolled in a bit of mayo, chili powder, and cotija cheese), but when I saw this idea for Esquites over on Serious Eats, I knew that this would have to happen in my kitchen almost immediately.
This was a perfect Mexican side dish, which is nice, because sometimes I struggle with what to serve with Mexican food.

Esquites
Ingredients
- 5 ears corn on the cob
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
- 1-2 tablespoons mayo
- 1-2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/4 cup cotija cheese
- 2 teaspoons chili powder or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder or to taste (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Slice the corn from the cob and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the butter.
- Once the butter is melted, add the corn to the skillet and stir once.
- Let corn sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes, or until corn starts browning on bottom. Stir again and let corn sit until it begins popping a bit and is charred.
- Place corn in a medium bowl and add 1 tablespoon of mayo, 1 tablespoon of sour cream, and the remaining ingredients. Toss to coat. Add another tablespoon of mayo and/or sour cream, to taste. (I used 2 tablespoons of each, but felt that it was a bit overdressed.)
Nutrition Information: