Sweet, smoky-edged corn esquites with creamy mayo, soured cream, salty feta and a spritz of lime – this is my speedy little nod to Mexican street corn, made with easy UK supermarket ingredients.
Nicky’s Notes
I love this corn esquites recipe because it gives you all those gorgeous street-corn-style flavours, but without needing fresh corn on the cob or a grill.
I’m using canned sweetcorn here because it’s inexpensive, easy to keep in the cupboard and fries up beautifully when you give it enough space in the pan. Frozen sweetcorn works well too – just make sure it’s defrosted and well drained so it can brown rather than steam.
Cotija cheese can be tricky (i.e. impossible!) to find in UK supermarkets, so feta is my go-to swap. It gives that salty, crumbly finish and works brilliantly with the creamy dressing and lime.
What I love about this dish:
- It makes a brilliant BBQ side dish.
- It can be served warm or cold (great for make-ahead).
- It’s mild (not spicy) so everyone can enjoy it.
📋 Ingredients for Esquites
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
What type of corn for esquites?
- I like to use canned corn, as I always have some in my cupboard. Frozen corn works great too (defrost it first).
- Fresh corn that’s been grilled on the BBQ, with the kernels sliced off afterwards is absolutely amazing (but more time consuming, and you still need to fry up the onions).
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
Fry onion in butter and oil until softened, then add well-drained corn and cook until the kernels start to turn golden in places.
Remove from the heat and stir through mayo, sour cream, crumbled feta or cotija, coriander, seasoning, and fresh lime. Serve warm with a sprinkle of Tajin.
Recipe Tips
- Drain the canned corn really well before frying (or defrost and pat dry if using frozen). Moisture stops it from browning properly.
- Use a wide frying pan or skillet so the corn has space to catch in places. If it’s piled up too much, it’ll steam instead.
- If the sauce looks too thick, add a splash of water to loosen it up.
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Make ahead and Leftovers Guide
- I find esquites tastes at its absolute best freshly made, but it tastes great reheated too. If you’re reheating the fully made dish, reheat over a low heat, until just warm (don’t heat too fast as the mayonnaise may split).
- If you want to partially make it ahead, you can fry the corn and onion ahead, then reheat and stir through the creamy ingredients just before serving.
- You can also serve it cold as a creamy sweetcorn salad. Give it a stir and squeeze over a little fresh lime to zing it up before serving.
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Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan over a medium heat.
15 g (1 tbsp) salted butter, 1 tbsp oil
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Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until slightly softened.
1 small onion, peeled and finely diced
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Add the drained corn to the pan, stir together with the onion and spread it out.
450 g (1lb) drained, canned sweet corn (or frozen corn)
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Fry for 3-4 minutes, until some of the corn starts to brown slightly. Stir and fry for a further 2-3 minutes. Turn off the heat.
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Transfer the corn mixture to a bowl and add the salt, pepper, mayonnaise, sour cream, feta (or cotija) and coriander (cilantro). Stir together to combine.
1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 75 g (5 tbsp) mayonnaise, 45 g (3 tbsp) full fat soured cream, 50 g (1/3 cup) crumbled feta , 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
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**Optional** If you want to loosen the sauce, add a splash of water and stir again.
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Sprinkle on the Tajin or chilli powder, and serve, warm, with lime wedges.
1/2 tsp Tajin or mild chilli powder, 1 lime quartered
Nutritional information is approximate, per serving, based on this recipe serving 6 people.
Calories: 238kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 245mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
🍽️ What to serve it with
🍲 More tasty vegetarian sides
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