I love grilling season and since I live in Florida that’s pretty much all year. It wasn’t always that way. I used to live up north in the frozen tundra of Michigan which has about 6 months of normal grilling season (unless you’re one of those die-hards who grills from your garage after you’re done snow blowing the driveway).  It’s also where I first tried the most amazingly flavorful take on corn on the cob known as Mexican Grilled Corn or Street Corn, or if you want to get real; Elote. I had always eaten corn on the cob with butter and salt; never like this. Recently I saw Mexican Grilled Streat Corn as an appetizer at a local Mexican restaurant and wanted to make it at home. I had pinned this pin for Mexican Grilled Corn by Veronica of The Vegetarian Ginger and was ready to try it.

It’s time to do this Pintesting.

First, brush the corn with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then grill it until it’s done, turning it every few minutes so that it cooks evenly; for a total of about 10 minutes or so. My HH did this part since he’s our grillmaster.

Mayonnaise? Yes, mayo. If you’ve never tried this just trust me on this. It’s how this is done.

Slather a good coat of mayonnaise on the corn like butter.

 Coat the corn well so that the seasoning blend will stick.

Blend the mixture of spices and then sprinkle all sides of the corn as liberally as you’d like. Don’t worry if it looks like a lot; the seasoning blend is more flavorful than spicy hot.

 Finish by sprinkling all sides of the corn with the grated Parmesan cheese. Go ahead and coat it well.

This is going to get all over your fingers – and you’re going to be very glad about that. This tastes so good! We were making all kinds of Mmm and Yum sounds while we ate.

The 2nd Pintesting:

I made this again within a week, except this time I used the more traditional Cotija cheese. It’s a Mexican hard crumbly cow’s milk cheese described as similar to both parmesan and feta. It crumbled easily onto the corn and I can see why it’s perfect for Elote.

Notice the little shaker of the spice blend above the cotija? We liked the first Pintesting results so much that we mixed the blend ahead to use whenever we want to grill some Mexican Street Corn.

This time I only got a picture of one because they disappeared as soon as I could make them. Something about hungry people wanting delicious food. My HH likes the Cotija cheese better – he says it’s creamier than the parmesan and he is not wrong.

• DON’T mix everything and then spread it on the corn. Read the recipe directions thoroughly and follow the steps or you’ll have an unpleasant mess.
• DO let a grill master grill the corn for you while you assemble the remaining ingredients if you have someone else doing the grilling.
• DO be as subtle or generous with the spice mixture and cheese as you’d like. I was moderate with the seasoning and heavier with the cheese.
• DO use either the Parmesan or Cotija cheese – or even a mixture if you’d like. They’re both delicious. My HH likes the Cotija better – he says it’s creamier.
• DO have a napkin ready but feel free to lick your fingers.

Accuracy:  This recipe turned out just like the Veronica said that it would and it tasted just like the Mexican Grilled Street Corn that I remember from the street vendors. 5 Pins

Difficulty:  The directions were clear and easy to follow. Grill. Schmear. Blend. Sprinkle. Sprinkle. Eat. However, since there is open flame involved I’m giving this 4 Pins.

Time:  The total time for this was about 20 minutes including the corn shucking, grilling, and seasoning. It times out well if you’re grilling burgers, kabobs, steak, or anything else. 5 Pins

Cost:  Corn on the cob is very inexpensive in the summer. I got 5 ears of corn for $2. The mayonnaise and spices were already in my cupboard and are common to most kitchens as is grated parmesan. The total cost for Veronica’s recipe with parmesan was less than $3 or $0.60 per serving. The cotija cheese was $5.49 for a bag that will make at least 10 recipes so it has no impact on the price per serving. 5 Pins

Practicality:  We have already made this 3 times since the first Pintesting and I’m sure we’ll make it often. Whichever cheese option you choose, this is great to serve with Mexican food, grilled food, as an appetizer, and it’s vegetarian, too. The spice blend can be adjusted to suit your taste and can be applied as lightly or as generously as you’d like. 5 Pins