Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Done Greek Style
You have had grilled corn on the cob before and it’s just the best. How can it get better? Grilled corn on the cob with a tangy, creamy garlic yoghurt sauce, crumbled feta and fresh herbs. These are perfect for any backyard bbq or cookout. I absolutely love Mexican street corn and thought it would be fun and delicious to make a Greek-style version of it.
What is Mexican street corn (Elote)?
It’s a delicious Mexican street food - grilled corn coated with a mixture of cotija cheese, mayo, sour cream, chile powder and lime before getting topped with extra cheese. The combo of the sweet corn with the salty cheese and spicy chile powder makes for an addictive side or snack for any summer barbecue. It’s great on or off the cob and also great on nachos like in my Mexican street corn nachos.
How to make Mexican street corn Greek-style?
I thought there was some natural swaps to create a Greekstyle elote. I used Greek yoghurt in place of the sour cream or crema. Then I used lemon juice instead of lime juice. Feta is my go to substitute for cotija always so that was also a natural swap. And I knew that the Greek yoghurt sauce needed its own tzatziki spin on it. So in went the garlic and lemon juice in it. Ofcourse you can’t have anything Greek-style without adding some favourite and signature spices and herbs, thus the addition of oregano to the yoghurt sauce and the fresh dill and mint sprinkled over the corn after a generous slathering of the lemony garlic yoghurt sauce. We inhaled these. My father the purist (he loves his boiled plain or grilled plain) would have none of it - but the rest of the family loved them and know you will too! If you are skeptical about them - I assure you will wonder why you havnt been making your grilled corn like this the whole time whether you make them Mexican style or Greek-style.
How to grill corn?
Grilling corn is as simple as it sounds. There are many variations of doing it out there. Some say boil before grilling, leave husks on to keep them from drying, or soaking the corn before grilling. All of them are relevant but I have found that if the corn is fresh all that is truly needed after removing the husks is a brush or drizzle of vegetable oil - in this case olive oil and then a quick 8-10 minute grilling session turning them often. They stay succulent with some much desired charred edges. I left the husks attached and tied back for the visual but they are also practical for handling and turning the corn on the grill. You can use any grill you have whether it’s charcoal or gas or even a stove top grill pan.
There is nothing more wonderful than the wafting smell of anything grilling especially when it’s corn. Up your corn grilling game with this loaded Greek-style corn this grilling season and enjoy!
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup greek yoghurt
- ¼ cup mayo (avocado or regular)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 clove of garlic peeled and grated
- ½ tsp of dried oregano
- ¼ cup crumbled feta
- ¼ tsp Aleppo pepper or paprika
- 1 tsp of chopped fresh mint
- 1 tsp of chopped fresh dill
Directions
- In a small bowl whisk together the yoghurt, mayo, lemon juice, garlic, and oregano and season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Remove husks from corn, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Heat grill and grill corn over medium-high heat 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until lightly charred.
- Brush the corn generously with yoghurt dressing then sprinkle with crumbled feta, Aleppo or paprika and the fresh mint and dill, serve and enjoy.
