Street Corn Nachos! Tortilla chips with creamy Monterey Jack cheese sauce, roasted corn, crumbled cotija, chilli powder and cilantro.
There’s a reason Mexican street corn, also known as “elote,” is so popular these days. Grilled corn on the cob smothered in a mayo sour cream sauce, sprinkled with cotija and chilli powder? Yes, please!
Well, how about all that brilliant street corn deliciousness in the form of street corn nachos?
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Mexican street corn nachos
Ever since I recently had some Elote at a friend’s, I’ve dreamed of capturing the flavors as a topping for cheesy nachos. And friends, I think we may have something good here.
The ingredients of nachos are tortilla chips, melted cheese, and toppings. The problem with many nacho recipes is that when you bake the chips with the toppings, the chips quickly become mushy.
To counteract this, I decided to toast the chips separately and then just baste them with a cheese sauce and top with the toppings just before serving. This way the chips stay crisp and don’t hang down when you try to pick them up.
The cheese sauce should be creamy and mild. Creamy for easy pouring and mild so it doesn’t spoil street corn flavors.
As for the corn? You can of course grill the corn on the cob and then remove the kernels.
I didn’t want to fire up the grill to make nachos, though, so I use frozen corn kernels that I sear while still frozen (a tip from America’s test kitchen) in a cast-iron skillet over high heat. This way we get some Sear. I use chipotle chili powder for the spiciness and smoky flavor.
You can’t do that in advance. That is, if you invite people to a game day party? That would be perfect. Enjoy!
Mexican street corn nachos
This recipe uses frozen corn kernels. Of course you can use corn from the grilled corn on the cob. I usually don’t have any leftover corn when I grill corn, and when I grill it I want to eat it on the cob right away.
Mexican crema is very similar to liquid sour cream. I don’t usually have it on hand, so I usually use diluted sour cream when a recipe like this calls for crema. But if you have crema, use it!
ingredients
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
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1 pound frozen corn (Above 3 cups), still frozen
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2 tablespoon mayonnaise
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1 (14 ounce) pouch low salt tortilla chips
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1 lb Monterey Jack Cheesegrated (don’t buy pre-grated, won’t melt properly)
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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1/2 Cup cream
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1/2 Cup milk
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1 clove garlicchopped
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1/4 Cup crumbles Cotija cheese (can subtract crumbled feta)
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1/8 teaspoon Chipotle Chili Powder (can use regular chili powder or smoked paprika powder)
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2 tablespoon Mexican cream or 2 tablespoons sour cream slightly diluted with water
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1/2 limecut into wedges
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2 tablespoon chopped coriander
method
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Fry corn, then mix with mayonnaise:
Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet on high. When the oil is almost sizzling hot, add half of the frozen (not thawed) corn to the pan. Pour into the pan and let sauté.
Stir occasionally until most of the corn kernels are lightly browned on at least one side. You will know the corn is done when some of the kernels start to “pop”.
Remove the corn from the pan into a bowl and repeat with the remaining frozen corn kernels.
Mix the corn with the mayonnaise and set aside.
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Toast Tortilla Chips:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the tortilla chips on a large baking sheet and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until lightly browned.
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Prepare cheese sauce:
While the tortilla chips are toasting, prepare the cheese sauce. Set up a double boiler with an inch of water in the bottom pan.
If you don’t have a double boiler, place an inch of water in a small saucepan and place a metal bowl over it, allowing steam from the boiling water below to heat the bottom of the bowl. Don’t let the bowl touch the water.
Place the shredded Monterey Jack cheese in the top pan or bowl of the double boiler. Mix in the cornstarch. Pour in the cream and milk (can use half and half if you like). Add the chopped garlic.
Heat the water in the water bath to a boil. Slowly melt the cheese, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is smooth.
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Assemble Nachos:
Once the tortilla chips are lightly browned, remove them from the oven. Place on a large serving platter.
Pour the cheese sauce over the fries. Sprinkle the top with the toasted corn. Sprinkle with Cotija cheese sprinkles. Sprinkle with chipotle chilli powder. Drizzle with the crema or diluted sour cream. Sprinkle with coriander.
Drizzle with a little lime juice and serve immediately with lime wedges.
Links:
Grilled Mexican street corn here on Simply Recipes
Blue Corn Chicken Nachos here on Simply Recipes
Mexican corn salad from a Great Island perspective
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 648 | calories |
| 42g | Fat |
| 52g | carbohydrates |
| 21g | protein |
