Mexican Street Corn

September 26, 2018 by Jennifer

Corn is in season right now. I love corn. It doesn’t matter if it’s white, yellow or multi-colored. I’ll eat it straight off the cob or in a pile of kernels on a plate. I love it grilled, sautéed or steamed. Seriously, as long as it’s fresh, I can’t get enough. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the yellow veggie is covered with mayonnaise and queso… also known as Mexican Street Corn.

Whenever I see Mexican Street Corn for sale, I always grab a cob or two. The flavors are great and the queso… well I’d eat the whole wheel if you gave it to me. So, when I discovered my friend, Laura Bashar, had a recipe for the delectable side dish, I knew I needed it. Luckily, there was good news. She had the recipe in her brand new The Camp & Cabin Cookbook. But that’s not the only corn recipe she has in there. She has four other recipes as well.

Bashar calls them Corn on the Cob from Around the World, and she ain’t joking. Want Parmesan cheese and olive oil instead of queso and mayonnaise? Than Italy is the way to go. Want a little extra salt, that’s got Iran written all over it. Want something with a little more spice? You need to take a trip to Morocco. With five different choices for toppings, you could easily have a different cob of corn every night and be wholly satisfied. Can’t decide where you want to visit, make all five and take a little trip around the world. That’s how I first sampled them and it was well worth it.

See, I got my first taste thanks to a book signing at my favorite produce vendor, Melissa’s. It was there that I tried the Mexican, Moroccan and Thai versions. All were delicious and a side I would easily serve at my dinner table or a fun backyard barbecue. The best thing about this recipe though, is how insanely easy it is to make. Bashar made the recipes easy because they’re meant to made while camping, which means they can be made over an open fire in a short amount of time. That’s actually the basis of her whole cookbook: recipes you can make while camping, because that’s what Bashar does. She camps… frequently.

But Bashar’s cookbook isn’t just full of recipes. She gives details on what type of cookware to get, how to season your cast iron and how to pack your cooler so your frozen steak or chicken won’t just keep your cooler and everything in it cold, but will be ready for marinating or cooking in a day or two’s time. Seriously, if you love camping and want to try cooking something other than hot dogs and hamburgers, this is the book to get. It’s got everything in it from breakfast (I made french toast on the grill) to desserts and cocktails. But even if you don’t go camping all that often (or like me, ever) you can still use this book because Bashar tells you how to make the recipes over an open fire as well as on the stove… which is how I made the corn. The corn that’s just as yummy at home with my family as it is out in the great wide open. The corn that’s just as good on the grill as it is on the stove.

See, you can cook the corn on a grill out in the forest (or your backyard) or steam it in your own kitchen, but it’s what you do after the corn is cooked that make the dish. See, no matter which country you choose to visit, it’s as simple as whisking up the topping and sprinkling the dressing with herbs, salt or cheese. But no matter where you choose to go, you won’t be disappointed.