Grilled Mexican Corn couldn’t be simpler. There are numerous ways to cook fresh corn, and I think I have tried most of them, but my favorite way, which happens to be the easiest way….is simply grilled.
No foil, no husk, no pre-blanching, no soaking. Just put the corn straight on the grill! It’s ridiculously fast and easy and tastes great. Once the kernels get a little bit of char, lather the combs up with chipotle butter, a squeeze of lime and scatter with fresh cilantro. So easy, so tasty!
If entertaining, make the butter ahead, it will keep for 1-2 weeks. And remember, you can use vegan butter. Olive oil works too, but I personally prefer the consistency of butter with this.
Chipotle peppers are what give this grilled corn a deep smokey heat. It is a slow heat, meaning, it doesn’t jump out at you in the beginning like fresh jalapeño… but rather lingers subtly behind each bite, slowing heating up your palate.
Chipotle peppers are basically smoked jalapenos. They come in different forms…. ground into a spice, dried whole, but I prefer the ease and flavor of these in a can.
The leftover peppers can be frozen in two’s in plastic wrap..and used later to flavor soups, beans, a vinaigrette, or even a chocolate cake. You can find these at most grocery stores in the Mexican Food Section. The juice in the can is especially flavorful, so make sure to save it too.
If serving a larger group of people, you may want to cut the corn in half or thirds.
Once butter is lavishly spread, squeeze 1/2 lime over the corn and sprinkle with chopped fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. It’s best eaten warm, right off the grill, but it is just fine if served at room temp.
This ended up being my small contribution to our “girls night out” potluck feast, held outside on a friend’s patio. It was one of those warm summer evenings where for a few wonderful hours, surrounded by friends, everything seemed right in the world. We ate well and laughed hard. Good for the soul.
Grilled Mexican Corn Chipotle Lime Butter
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 20 mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: Southwest
Description
Grilled Mexican Corn on the Cob with Chipotle-Lime Butter.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup room temperature butter ( or soy butter or olive oil– see note)
- 1–2 chipotle peppers ( I used two, plus a little “juice” from the can) –This ended up being 3 out of 5 stars. A nice slow-burning spicy.
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste ( you could try smoked salt)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon (optional, but tasty)
- ¼ tsp cumin
- Zest of 1 lime – save lime for squeezing on after
- cracked pepper
- 8 Ears of Corn, shucked
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro as fresh garnish
Instructions
- Preheat grill to Med High
- In a food processor, add chipotle peppers, salt, cinnamon, cumin, lime zest ( reserving juice for later), black pepper. Pulse ingredients, scrape sides down, pulse again. Add butter and pulse until combined. It doesn’t have to be smooth, leave flecks of chipotle pepper and zest. Set Aside. You can do this ahead and keep in your fridge up to a week.
- (If you don’t have a food processor…mince the peppers and zest and place in a small bowl with the other ingredients) Stir in the butter.
- Remove husks and strings off of corn.
- Place on a greased hot grill, rotate a quarter, every two-three minutes until each side is grilled. (8 mins). A little charring gives a good flavor.
- When done, lavishly spread the Chipotle Lime butter on all sides.
- Squeeze with lime, and sprinkle fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges. Serve warm or at room temp.
Nutrition
- Calories: 235
Keywords: gilled Mexican corn. Mexican grilled corn, grilled corn, how to grill corn, corn on the cob, chipotle butter,
Added the cinnamon- so good!
★★★★★
This is such a great recipe, and a beautiful presentation! Thank you for the tip on the corn husk wreath too, I follow CITR but I had missed that one. Lovely blog! Cheers, Andrea
Thank you Andrea, I appreciate your nice feedback.
This looks delicious and the presentation is beautiful. You have a lovely blog.
Thank you!!
Sylvia…. so great to connect with you via the web, even though we are only a hop, skip, and a jump from one another! I’m in CDA. I love this corn on the cob post and I’ll look forward to seeing more now that I’m following you on Pinterest 🙂
Blessings,
Krista
Thanks for reading Krista!