It used to be said that to cook perfect sweet corn, you should have the water on the boil before you pick the corn, then shuck those ears as you ran back to the house.
That was because the sweet corns in years past had sugars that quickly turned to starch, making for corn that was stodgy and gluey rather than sweet and crisp.
Few of us these days have the pleasure of living next to a field of sweet corn, however. Lucky for us, corn breeders have developed varieties of sweet corn that hold their sugars for a long time. Some of the ears that you see at the market were picked weeks ago and shipped miles and miles to reach your grocery.
If you’re a gardener, you’ll know these newer varieties by their names — they carry descriptors such as “sugary enhanced (SE)” or “super sweet.”
Of course, if you’re buying sweet corn at the farmers market, those ears were probably picked within a day or two. But the corn breeders’ work means you have a window of time to hold that corn before cooking it with no loss in texture or flavor.
We in Tucson love elotes, the grilled Mexican-style corn on the cob. It’s not hard to make if you have the grill fired up for something else, but your made-at-home corn will probably never quite scratch that elote itch. That’s because Mexican corn is not as sweet as ours and is starchier to begin with. It can stand up to a long cook to char the sugars, while our sweet corn will suffer for it. The super-high sugar varieties will go past char into burnt quickly, yet the corn won’t be fully cooked.
If you take the kernels from the ears and char them in a skillet, however, you’ll get a dish that very closely mimics the flavor profile of elotes.
The salad version is called esquites, and it’s a boon for summer barbecues and potlucks.
A couple of must-knows for this recipe:
Use a big skillet for this — I reach for my 12-inch when I make esquites — because you want as much corn to contact the skillet as possible. That’s for maximum char, and more thorough cooking.
Heat that big skillet until it’s good and hot — not smoking, but fiery. Add the oil to the skillet when it’s hot, give the oil a moment to start to shimmer, and then add the corn. Your instinct may be to stir the corn often to keep it from burning, but in this case, we actually want some of the kernels to char. So leave it alone as much as your conscience can tolerate.
You shouldn’t have any trouble finding Cotija cheese here in town, but I’ve had pretty good versions using feta or Parmesan-Reggiano as a substitute in a pinch. Crema should also be easy to find, but if you don’t feel like dashing out to the store for a single ingredient, combine yogurt or sour cream with mayonnaise, squeeze in a generous amount of lime juice and proceed from there.
Esquites
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Tucsonans know the delights of elotes, the Mexican grilled corn on the cob that’s slathered with crema and mayonnaise, then dusted with chile powder and Cotija cheese. A christening of lime juice just before eating is de rigeur. This salad mimics those flavors in a slightly easier-to-eat form. Use a big skillet to ensure maximum corn-to-heat ratio.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups fresh corn kernels (from 6 to 7 ears fresh corn)
Kosher salt and black pepper
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
4 ounces Cotija cheese, about 1 cup
Chipotle chile powder, hot chile powder or cayenne, for dusting
4 limes, cut into quarters, for serving
Preparation
In a large cast iron or heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring once or twice, until corn is charred and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. You may hear some kernels popping. Turn off the heat, cover the skillet and let stand for two to five minutes. This helps the corn pick up more char and smoky flavor, and the steaming at the end ensures that the corn is cooked through.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, crema, cilantro, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Set aside 1/4 cup sauce.
Add seared corn to the large bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a large serving platter, spreading corn mixture in an even layer. Drizzle with the reserved sauce, and sprinkle with Cotija and chile powder. Garnish with more chopped cilantro and serve with lime quarters.
