Mexico’s incredibly popular esquites offer challenges and choices for those of us who live in the U.S. First, know that those street vendors’ simmering pots of esquites and grilled ears of corn (yes, they’re often sold together) are made from immature, “milk stage” field/grain corn, not from tender sweet corn. That may come as a big surprise, especially if you weren’t yet aware that the starchy (grain) corn used to make corn meal is a very different variety than the tender (vegetable) corn we eat off the cob. In the U.S. sweet corn is typically our only fresh corn option, which means ours will have a different taste (less savory, sweeter) and texture (less toothsome, more tender).
Next, a brothy cup of corn–seasoned with epazote, chile, mayo, crumbled cheese, lime–eaten as a street snack is hard to categorize for North Americans. Is it a soup? Is it a “side?” A side to what? North of the border there’s nothing quite like it.
And finally, while the brothy version is by far the most common, there’s a fried version that pops up all over Mexico City and surrounding states. The seasonings are similar to the brothy version, but the end result looks more like a side of corn dressed like classic Mexican street corn. To make it, I fry the kernels in fresh-rendered lard or butter with some chopped onion, epazote leaves and crushed chile. When browned, I season them with salt and serve in small bowls with a dollop of mayo, a spoonful of the crumbled cheese and a squeeze of lime.
INGREDIENTS
- 6 large ears of corn, husked, silk removed, kernels cut from the cob, cobs reserved for optional corn cob broth
- A handful of epazote leaves (if you have them)
- Salt
- A large lime, cut in 6 wedges
- A generous 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I like the lime-flavored mayo at the Mexican grocery)
- A generous 1/2 cup crumbled Mexican queso fresco, or añejo, or other garnishing cheese like crumbled goat cheese, pressed farmer cheese, or grated parmesan or romano
- A couple of tablespoons crushed chile pequín or chile de árbol
INSTRUCTIONS
Make the optional corn cob broth. Collect the corn cobs in a large (4-quart) saucepan, add water to cover by 2 inches and set over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for an hour. Strain into a large heatproof measuring cup (or other container).
Make the esquites. In the same saucepan ( no need to wash), over medium heat, combine the corn kernels and epazote with corn cob broth or water to cover the corn by about an inch. Simmer, generously covered, for 20 or 30 minutes to blend flavors (it’ll take longer for the milk-stage Mexican field corn to get tender). Taste and season with salt, usually about 2 teaspoons.
Serve the esquites. Ladle the esquites into small cups with enough broth to barely cover the kernels. Squeeze a wedge of lime on each serving, then top each with a generous tablespoon of mayo and another one of crumbled cheese. Finally, sprinkle with the spicy chile. Let each of your guests stir everything together before digging in.
