Elote or street-style corn-on-the-cob is a popular street food staple in Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico, among other countries. Yet, each country has a different way to make their elote.
In the street, grilled corn is more popular and you can find some of these street food stalls in cities and towns across these countries.
The differences between each recipe are not superficial. They look and taste quite different!
So, if you want to try an easy-to-make Latino street food dish, it’s hard to find something better than elote.
If you are looking for a simple and delicious recipe to make elote at home, look no further!
Elote is a type of street food, consisting of grilled or boiled corn on the cob slathered in various seasonings, including butter or mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili powder seasoning, and lime juice.
It is one of the most popular types of street food in Latin American countries like Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras. Vendors typically sell it on roadsides in many cities and towns.
Elote can also be purchased from shacks with produce displays set up on sidewalks next to busy intersections where people wait for buses or trains; these carts typically offer other fruit alongside corn but tend to offer more unique varieties of fresh products like jackfruit and mangos, that aren’t so common grocery shops and large supermarket chains.
The word “elote” comes from elotitutl, which means ‘tender cob’ in Nahuatl. In ancient cultures, people associated elote with the harvest season when they used to eat fresh corn at this time of year.
Tips to make elote at home
Street food has a special charm, and sometimes it’s hard to get the same taste at home. To some extent, this is more of a challenge if you are far from home.
We can’t replicate the exact taste and experience of eating elotes on a side-walk in our hometown. However, there are some tips to make really good elotes at home:
- Grilling on coal is a great way to get that elusive charcoal flavor. The coals will give off smoky goodness to your elotes. Although some people just boil the corn on the cob, the taste they get on the grill is unique. A trick for it not to burn on the grill is to boil it for 3 min and then grill it.
- Once cooked with your preferred method, pierce the cob through its base using a metal skewer or an ice pick. Then, insert your bamboo skewers one at a time.
- Use separate bowls to sprinkle the dry ingredients over the cob. For instance, I used a bowl for cheese and another for chile piquín powder. Then, holding the cob by the bamboo skewer, you can add the dry ingredients without making a huge mess.
Find all the ingredients and a step-by-step recipe below.
Elote Three Ways
Ingredients
Elote Loco "Catracho" (Honduran Crazy Corn)
- 1 corn on the cob (grilled or boiled)
- 2 tsps of “crema centroamericana” (Central American sour cream)
- ⅓ cup of crumbled dry cheese (“queso seco”) or cotija cheese
- 1 tsp of lime juice
- 1 tsp of chile piquín powder (Spicy, optional)
Elote Preparado (Mexican Elote/ Mexican Street Corn)
- 1 corn on the cob (grilled or boiled)
- 2 tsps of mayo
- ⅓ cup of cotija cheese –
- 2 tsps of chile piquín
- 1 tsp of lime juice
Elote Loco Salvadoreño (Salvadoran Crazy Corn)
- 1 corn on the cob (grilled or boiled)
- 1 tbsp of mayo
- 1 tsp of mustard–
- 1.5 tsps of ketchup
- 1 tsp of Salvadoran Salsa Negra or Worcestershire Sauce
- ⅓ cup of “duro blando” cheese
Instructions
To start
- You can grill or boil your corn. I prefer it grilled, so it gets a smoky taste and a bit crunchy.
- If you boil the corn, let it cook for 15 minutes.
- After cooking the corn, let it rest a bit to handle it more easily.
- Push a metal skewer or ice pick through the base of the cob. Then slide in a bamboo skewer and voilá! (I wish I knew this when we filmed the video).
- Once the corn is ready, you can prepare by taking some easy steps, as follows.
Elote Preparado (Mexican Elote/ Mexican Street Corn)
- Hold the corn by the bamboo skewer and spread the mayo over it, covering as much as you can.
- Sprinkle the cotija cheese over the corn. Let the cheese stick on the mayo until you get a nice coat of cheese.
- To bring some color and spice, add chile piquín over the corn. The final touch, which will provide some nice zestiness, is a bit of lime juice.
- And that's it! Enjoy your Elote Preparado!
Elote Loco Catracho (Honduran Crazy Corn)
- Hold the corn by the bamboo skewer and spread the Central American sour cream over it, covering as much as you can.
- Sprinkle the queso seco over the corn and let it stick on the Central American sour cream. You can use cotija cheese if you can't find queso seco.
- If you like spicy food, add a bit of chile piquín. I like it better this way.
- Finish with a bit of lime juice, and enjoy your Elote Loco Catracho!
Elote Loco Salvadoreño (Salvadoran Crazy Corn)
- Hold the corn by the bamboo skewer and spread the mayo over it, covering as much as you can.
- Toss with ketchup and mustard. Then, add Salvadoran Salsa Negra (if you can't find it, I used Worcestershire Sauce instead)
- Cover the corn with "duro blando" cheese.
- I like spicy food, so I added a bit of chile piquín but it's optional!
- Finish with a bit of lime juice, and enjoy your Elote Loco Salvadoreño!
Video
Notes
If you liked this elote three ways, you might like some of my other recipes too.
And remember, if you try this recipe and want to share your pictures, remember to tag me @lacooquette on Instagram. I’d love to share your pictures on my IG stories.
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