JOIN! 12 Weeks for $1

Mexican-Style Corn with Chili and Lime (Esquites)

4 Servings

30 minutes

Made This Recipe? Write a Review.
Thank you for submitting your review! A member of our team is confirming the review meets our site's Community Guidelines. It will be posted on the site shortly.

To make esquites, a popular type of Mexican street food, corn is typically roasted or grilled, then the kernels are simmered with an herb called epazote before being finished with crema (Mexican sour cream), mayonnaise, lime, chili and cotija cheese. The slightly brothy mix is served in cups and eaten with a spoon. Our version of esquites is based on the recipe Jorge Fritz and Beto Estúa taught us at Casa Jacaranda cooking school in Mexico City. Epazote has a unique flavor and aroma that are difficult to mimic. The herb is not widely available in U.S. supermarkets; Fritz and Estúa suggested a combination of fresh parsley and basil, so that’s what we call for in our recipe. Plump, tender kernels cut from ears of fresh corn are the first choice for making esquites, but in non-summer months, an equal amount of frozen corn kernels that have been thawed and patted dry will work; they’ll just take a little longer to brown.

4

Servings

Tip

Don’t stir the corn for the first minute it’s in the skillet. Undisturbed cooking allows the kernels to begin to develop flavorful browning and caramelization.

30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1

    tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil

  • 4

    cups fresh corn kernels (from about 5 ears corn) or frozen corn, thawed and patted dry

Directions

Pardon the interruption

You need to be a Milk Street Digital Member to see the full recipe

JOIN MILK STREET DIGITAL & PRINT
12 WEEKS FOR JUST $1

and get access to all of our recipes and articles online, as well as in print.

GET DIGITAL & PRINT
How we use your email.

Your email address is required to identify your subscription. We will use it for customer service as well as other communications from Milk Street. We will not share, or rent your email address.

Reviews
Lief E.
April 9, 2024
Best corn ever
Everyone loved it
Lief E.
March 26, 2024
Mighty Tasty Esquites!
Best recipe I’ve found for this dish. Many are overly cloying.
Carol K.
February 9, 2024
Perfect Super Bowl Food
I once made this two days in a row! Addictive!
Wallace R.
September 22, 2023
Big favorite!
Wonderful flavors! First time I used cilantro instead of parsley. Tonight I’m using the parsley. Great next day leftover also!
Susan E.
August 27, 2022
So good!
Love this recipe! It’s so easy to make. I’ve made it a couple of times and always use fresh corn. I’ll use frozen sweet this winter and see how it turns out. It’s a big favorite in our house. There’s never any left over!