Elote Loco
August in New York City = so much great stuff at the farmer’s market. I’m particularly excited about corn – bushels and bushels of sweet, snappy, corn!
All you need to make corn delicious is salt, pepper and, if you’re normal and not me, butter, right? Sure. But two summers ago the Red Hook Ball Field vendors opened my eyes/mouth to something even more awesome that permanently changed my puritanical ways.
Corn Doctor Casteen presents elote loco ("crazy corn").
Crazy good!! Here’s the how-to, based on a little time spent watching the masters, a little research on the internet, and some practice.
Everything you need to make elote loco!
1. COOK THE CORN
Grill it. Pull back husks and remove silk, then fold husks back up around the cob. Place ears in covered barbecue for about 25 minutes, turning occasionally. I’ve made the mistake of stripping everything away, and the corn ends up looking too much like the coals it’s cooking over. If you keep the husks, they’ll pull away and give you some lightly charred kernels without letting the whole ear burn. When you’re done, you can peel back the husk and tie in a knot to make a little corn handle for your prepping/eating convenience.
If you can’t grill it, boil it. Shuck the corn – leaving some stalk if possible for a handle – and drop the naked ears in a pot of boiling water (don’t add salt). Cover and let it cook for about four minutes. Good, fresh corn doesn’t need long!
2. SLATHER
If you want to be authentic, use Mexican crema (akin to sour cream or crème fraiche). You can get this at Latin markets or even make it yourself. If not, you can use mayonnaise. Yup!
NB: I hate gloopy/greasy white foods and used to fear this step. But this really brings it all together. Embrace the slather.
3. CHEESE
Sprinkle crumbled cotija (a hard, aged cow’s milk cheese, also available at Latin markets) over the ear as you’re turning it.
Real foodies, don’t hate me for saying this: If you can’t get the cotija, sub in grated parmesan or another sprinklable cheese.
4. SEASON
Dust each ear with cayenne pepper. Squeeze a lime wedge over it.
Done! Eat it!!
Sounds delicious! And lol about embracing the slather (I’m the same way).
Keeping the husks on for grilling (I usually wet them a bit, even) is crucial, I agree. This was a topic already in my mind after just getting back from Ghana where grilled corn cobs are common street food but they shuck them and get that hard and burned taste–I guess it must be acquired.
Too bad I’ve got no grill access, but I hope to try this myself with the boiling technique before the summer is done.
Hi there! Recipe looks just great, but I want to point out that although it is indeed vegetarian, it’s definitely not vegan. Butter, crema and cheese all disqualify!
Bring Nachy out! More vegan recipes!
Very, very right Danielle. That one’s on the editor, not the author.
Don’t worry, plenty more vegan to come…
I remember living in Cali and my mom buying these off the street vendors. They were SO good. I can’t wait to start making these myself. Thank you for posting this.
thx for sharing this one!
This is a good version of this dish. I am changing two things to this recipe. Drop the salt (soy sauce and salted black beans gives it enough saltiness), and add more chicken broth to 1/2 cup. I had black bean paste and it worked just fine in place of the salted black beans
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