It’s gnarly looking and messy to eat. This Grilled Mexican Corn is the BEST corn I have ever had in my life. (And I don’t say that lightly).
Until a few weeks ago, the best corn I had ever had in my life was David Chang’s Corn with Bacon and Miso butter at Momofuku in NYC. The second best corn I had ever had in my life was Mexican Street Corn in LA (the real deal, called Elotes).
Both of these have now been bumped down not 1, but 2 places. For the most unexpected reason.
I live in a wonderful area of Sydney, known as the Northern Beaches. It’s north of Sydney city and I think it encompasses all that Sydney is known for – beautiful beaches, friendly people, laid back outdoor lifestyle, lots of greenery. And plenty of dog beaches which is a huge plus because my dog Dozer (an abnormally large golden retriever) is obsessed with swimming and chasing sand (yes, chasing sand. Not balls.)
However….I wouldn’t say the Northern Beaches is great for ethnic food. As Aussie as I am – and believe me, I need a regular meat pie fix – I blame the Japanese blood in my veins that has me hankering for a good Asian fix at least once a week. So I make the 30 minute drive to the nearest area with plenty of Asian restaurants (for Sydneysiders reading this, it happens to be Chatswood) just to get some real dumplings, Dan Dan Noodles or BBQ Duck or whatever it is that I happen to be craving. (I have also been known to drive all the way to Parramatta – about 50 km away – just to get laksa. Yes, I’m nuts.)
As a result, I tend to temper my expectations when I dine out locally. So imagine my surprise when I visited a local Mexican restaurant called Mexicano in Narrabeen and not only was it scrumptiously delicious on every level, it is the best Mexican I’ve ever had in Sydney. It’s the closest I’ve had to the real deal (which is saying a lot in Sydney where Tex Mex still dominates). And they do killer margaritas too, which always scores highly in my books.
The stand out was the corn. Really. It sounds so weird saying that. Me, the taco fiend, saying that a vegetable dish was the stand out.
It was that good.
Char grilled, smothered in a chipotle mayo and coated in parmesan cheese, it was so good that I would have hoovered down the whole plate myself except I was with friends and I hear it’s rude not to share (isn’t it?).
So I made it my mission to replicate it at home. The menu describes it as “chargrilled corn with chipotle mayo, cheese, lime and smoked spice.” It took a few goes, making a sauce with punchy enough flavours to compliment rather than being drowned out the strong smoky char grilled flavours. But I’m really happy with what I came up with. I dare to even say that it’s even better than the restaurant’s!
So here’s the new Corn Pecking Order:
1. My homemade Grilled Mexican Corn with Chipotle Adobo Sauce (i.e. this recipe….in case it wasn’t clear!)
2. Mexicano‘s (Narrabeen, Sydney) Char Grilled Corn (which I copied)
3. Momofuku David Chang’s Corn with Bacon and Miso Butter
4. Real Mexican Street Corn Elotes (i.e. the real, real deal Mexican corn).
So here’s the recipe for the best Mexican corn ever. At least, in my humble books. 🙂
– Nagi
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Grilled Mexican Corn with Chipotle Adobo Sauce (Mexicano Restaurant Copycat)
Ingredients
Chipotle Adobo Mayo
- 1 1/2 tbsp chipotle in adobo sauce (1 chipotle + sauce totalling 1 1/2 tbsp) (Note 4)
- 1/4 cup whole egg mayonnaise (Note 1)
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano flakes
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
Corn
- 4 to 6 corn on the cob
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (Note 2)
- 1/4 tsp ancho chili powder , chipotle powder or smoky paprika
- Lime wedges , for serving
Instructions
- Place the Chipotle Adobo Mayo ingredients in a small food processor and blend until smooth. (Note 3)
- BBQ: Heat the grill side on high. Grill corn for around 8 minutes, or until charred all over and cooked through.
- Stovetop: Boil a large pot of water. Add the corn and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and let the corn steam dry in the colander for a few minutes. Heat a skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil over high heat. Add the corn and cook all over until nicely charred.
- Allow the corn to cool slightly.
- Place the parmesan in a shallow dish.
- Use a pastry brush to generously slather each corn with the Chipotle Adobo Mayo.
- Roll the corn in the parmesan.
- Sprinkle with a pinch of ancho chili powder, and serve with lime wedges on the side.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
This looks amazingly delicious 🙂 I would never expect to find really great Mexican in Australia– I’ve had some pretty so-so Tex Mex there! I’ve never been to Sydney though– I have friends in Melbourne, where I can attest to some of the best Asian food I’ve ever had– and I’ve lived in Asia for 6 years now.
Corn is such a great summer food– or here in the tropics, a year-round food that the American in me will always label “summer.”
Hey Michelle! You got it bang on – Australia does AMAZING Asian food, I guess because of proximity and we have such a diverse culture which is one of the reasons I LOVE Australia so much! But Mexican is definitely not something that is done well 🙂 But it’s gradually changing!! We need to get more authentic ingredients imported though. Like the cheese! Kills me that we don’t even have cotija here. Where in Asia do you live?
Now I am living in Malaysia– was in Korea before.
Another reason Australia’s Asian is better than Asian-Asian? YOUR FRESH PRODUCE! Holy cow. That is one thing I don’t like about living with Asia– it’s so hard to get fresh, nice produce. I am in heaven when I’m in Aus and even small cafes bring out fresh micro greens and beets and roasted veg…
True! There is a wider variety here….but there are so many pros for living in Asia too!! i mean – Korea? You’re SO lucky!! Korean food is ALL the rage right now thanks to David Chang. I would love to spend a decent chunk of time in Korea. And Malaysia…come on! Some of the BEST food in the WORLD!! You are sooooooo lucky…… N x
I just love the Mexican dishes you share here. 🙂 They’re so close to what I know and love from my years in California. 🙂
Thanks Krista!! Some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had was in LA. I can’t wait to go back soon! 🙂
Oh my goodness, Nagi! This is the BEST looking corn ever! We can’t get enough of grilled corn lately but it totally pales in comparison to this jazzed up one. I love the sound of the chipotle adobo sauce too and would find every excuse to slather that on everything. Love this!
Thanks so much Kelly!! I actually just used up the rest of the sauce last night on a salad! It was fab 🙂
I love that your dog’s name is Dozer – perfect for an extra-large pup! One of my favorite dogs in Bend is named Dozer (unfortunately he doesn’t belong to me, though I’ve considered sneaking out at night to steal him 😉 ). He’s a beefy, black English lab. I have a strong feeling that I’d fall in love with your Dozer as well!
Mexican street corn is one of my favorite summertime treats! Spork (a restaurant in Bend) was kind enough to give me their recipe which I shared on my blog. And now you’ve given me a new one to try. I can hardly wait, Nagi! Because these pictures of yours have my mouth watering.
OOOH!! I forgot about that recipe! I’m popping over now to check it out! 🙂
That is just the best looking corn on the cob I have ever seen. I’d need extra parmesan please too.
Totally!! The restaurant definitely is NOT as generous as I am with the parmesan!! 😉
Oh, I did laugh reading this – fancy you living on the Northern Beaches! When we lived in Sydney that’s where we lived! Collaroy, then Narrabeen and finally Mona Vale. Corn looks fab – no if only I could JR to eat corn! Oh well might just have to make little feast for myself:-)
I’m in Mona Vale!! That is hilarious!! I bet you struggled with the restaurants here too…knowing you broad your palette is! N x
Stop the MADNESS! I literally started salivating when I saw this! Wow, this looks amazing, I bet it would be good with chicken too (prepared the same way) AHH, great job……now I’m hungry!
You are SO RIGHT! The possibilities with this sauce are endless….. 🙂
Hi Nagi.
Where do I buy the chipotle in adobo sauce here in Australia?? Still having trouble finding the pin interest symbol on you site, using my iPad.
Thanks….Paulinexx
Oh no! I’ll look into it, thanks for letting me know Pauline 🙂 PS Responded below re: Chipotles in Adobo! N x
Hi Nagi.
Where do I buy the chipotle in adobo sauce here in Australia??
Thanks….Paulinexx
Pauline! I’m so sorry, I forgot to include that in the notes! You can get it at Harris Farms – do you have one near you? It’s about $3 a can and lasts for ages. I’ve updated the recipe now, thanks for the reminder! 🙂
When you said Mexicano’s, I immediately thought you’d been to Christchurch, NZ, as that’s where I had my last Mexican-style corn. Great restaurant by the same name there, as well. As delicious as it was, my all-time favourites have to be the ones I gorged on when the corn vendors used to come out in the evenings in the town squares in Mexico. Magic!
I challenge you!! Make the trek to Narrabeen – I promise you won’t regret it!! (And take some gorgeous pics please, then I’ll swipe one to use in this post!!) N x Welcome back?
OMG Look at Dozer! He’s having so much fun! Chasing sand? That’s a new one! When my dog is in the water, she walks like she has high heels on, she’s such a girl. 🙂
Anyway, it’s like you read my mind Nagi, I bought some corn that’s waiting for me in my fridge to do something with and I was thinking Mexican street corn. Great minds, Nagi, great minds!
OMG you totally need to share a video of your princess in water!! Ha ha ha!! I would love to see that! 🙂
Man oh man, that would make Moctezuma proud! Looks amazing and fantastic photos.. wow. A must try…
Kevin! This is TOTALLY your type of food!! You will love it, promise promise N xx (Don’t let your pups near the corn though! Bad for them!)
My boys don’t eat people food, no,no! BTW, Dozer looks about as happy as my guys when they hit the beach!
Aww…you better put a pic up on your blog so I can see them!! PS What about cheese?? Pups LOVE cheese!!
Good Lord, that looks amazing! I’m a huge fan of Mexican grilled corn, but I’ve never had it with a chipotle/adobo sauce… and parmesan! I love that addition of some heat! And omg, Dozer is SO cute! I think it’s hilarious that he chases sand! I think a video is order next time 😉
Ha ha YES!! I’ll video him! We should have a puppy love blog day. We all include pics of our pups in our posts!! 🙂
So glad to hear that you found a good Mexican restaurant. I’m very prejudiced about them, living on the US border with Mexico. We just had an amazing surprise a couple of days ago. We’re currently on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and found an absolutely superb Mexican restaurant, called Agave Roja. We had become so disgusted with another Mexican restaurant here that had gone downhill to the point where the food was tasteless, that we were almost afraid to try this one. But it was worth trying. I’m looking forward to trying your corn recipe (I’ve never had elotes…)
You are SO lucky Susan. Mexican food in the US – especially where you are, so close to the border – is incredible. Even the tortillas are better! And you get all the spices and Mexican cheeses…we don’t even have cotija here!!
Glad you found a new Mexican place 🙂 I know what you mean, there are some appalling ones here in Sydney too. Can of refried beans poured over corn chips topped with cheese is NOT nachos!! N x
Much as I love meat, a good veggie dish almost always will steak the show for me. This is definitely one of those dishes — it looks amazing! And is so loaded with flavor. My kind of food! Thanks.
I see this on the side as an accompaniment to MANY of the fab food you share John!!
Oh good golly – I think I must have been living under a rock! The only corn I’ve had was boiled or from a can! This looks phenomenal – that adobo and Parm crusting …mmmm mmmm mmmm!
Shashi!! Grilled corn is the BEST thing ever!! It was made for being chargrilled. The flavour it adds is da bomb!! N x
Hi Nagi! I made Mexican corn a couple of weeks ago, but I used Queso Fresco cheese! We had it with Mexican seafood cocktails. And just last night we had char grilled corn with chipotle garlic mayo and grilled ribeye steak. We are so on the same “food page”! 🙂
It is so unfair – we don’t have Queso Fresco here! There are many basic Mexican ingredients we don’t have here 🙁
It’s like I was AT your dinner last night!! Oh boy. That is totally my kind of meal 🙂 I looooooove grilled beef!! N x
Hi Nagi! What is unfair is that the only “Mexican” (and I use that term very loosely) restaurant here serves sub standard food – the only redeeming fact is they do have very cold beer! You WERE here for dinner, if only in our minds! By the way, your dog is adorable! We have two Border Collies (who are both adorable also) and I am babysitting my son’s dog for the next week while he is on vacation, who is a pup of my female dog! Yay, more dog hair! Isn’t that more fiber in one’s diet?? 🙂
Ha!! I am going to use the fibre line next time someone complains about dog hair in their food!! My childhood dog was a collie cross. I love border collies. They are known as working dogs here in Australia, for rounding up cattle etc. They are SO smart and so beautiful!! 🙂 PS I think your Mexican restaurants sound like most of ours. Sub standard tex mex but the beer is always great! 🙂
Hi Nagi! Yes, Borders are so smart and so obsessive! Mine herd my cat and the chickens! However, they are trained to hand commands and eye contact which is so cool! All I have to do is look at one or the other and raise or lower my hand and they obey – they also sleep in bed with me, hence the fiber in my diet! 🙂
Wow! I have NEVER had corn any way other than boiled or grilled with butter and salt. How boring of me!! I’ve also never heard of anything like a corn pecking order, but I love yours!!
The hubs would absolutely LOVE this … think I’d better make it for him, don’t you?
Loved getting a little insight into where you live, Nagi … and seeing your gorgeous doggie … although yes, now you’ve made me REALLY jealous of your neighbourhoood and even more happy about the prospect of moving back to Australia! What a great life!
WA beaches are even MORE gorgeous so you are lucky!!! I’ll definitely come over and visit when you’re back – I can’t wait!! 🙂
Geez, licking our chops now! Can’t wait to try this – 5 stars just by looking at all that cheese smothering the lovely charred corn…Mmmm!!
Julie & Alesah
Gourmet Getaways xx
Thanks girls!! I mean honestly, how can you go wrong – charred corn, chipotle mayo + parmesan = pure heaven. N x
This looks AMAZING, and thank you for providing stovetop instructions for those of us who (sadly) have no access to a grill! Also, the dog pictures pretty much made my day – those pictures are pure happiness.
Awww…..you just hit my sweet spot with your comments about my dog!!… 🙂