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Why surfers love it: It's cheap, it's fast, and it's handheld. Throw the cobs on the grill while everyone's peeling off wetsuits, and in ten minutes you've got something smoky, creamy, salty and tangy.
Ingredients
- 6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ⅓ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1 lime, zested, plus 1 more lime cut into wedges
- 1 small garlic clove, grated (optional)
- ¾ cup finely crumbled cotija cheese (or feta)
- 1-2 tsp chili powder, or Tajín
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Wooden skewers or corn holders (optional)
Method
- Heat a grill to medium-high. If you want handles, push a skewer into the stem end of each cob.
- Brush the corn lightly with oil and grill, turning every couple of minutes, for 10-12 minutes, until the kernels are tender and charred in spots.
- While it cooks, stir the mayonnaise, crema, lime zest, a squeeze of lime juice and the garlic together in a shallow dish.
- Spread the cotija on a plate.
- Brush each hot cob all over with the crema mix, then roll it in the cotija so it sticks.
- Dust with chili powder, scatter on cilantro and serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Tip: No grill at the beach? Char the cobs in a dry cast-iron pan on a camp stove, turning often. For an off-the-cob cup, cut the kernels off after grilling and toss them with the crema, cheese, chili and lime.
Surf-town roots
Corn carts and taco stands up and down the coast sell some version of this, and it's become a parking-lot favorite after a session. This is our backyard-grill take on that classic street snack.
Sources
- Recipe and wording are original to Surfing Fukcs.
