Corn pops are my take on two of the most popular street foods south of the border—Mexican and Jamaican grilled corn. Dressed in a creamy, spicy, cheesy blend and served on a stick, these little flavor-bombs are inspired by the smoky, tangy street food found at carts and roadside grills across Mexico and the Caribbean. In their hometowns, they rival the legendary dirty water dogs of New York City—and if you’ve ever followed your nose to the scent of fire-roasted corn on a busy plaza, you know exactly why.
As you know, corn on the cob has its challenges. Some finicky eaters (yes, we’re looking at you, ladies) hesitate to dive in, because it can cause a makeup emergency. And for those of us with facial hair, one or two bites is all it takes before the ‘stache starts soaking up the seasoning. While it may not carry the universally alluring aroma of bacon, we’d argue that butter, lime, garlic, and chili isn’t far off in the pheromone department.
Corn pops solve it all. With built-in handles and tidy portions, they’re easier to eat, less messy, and just as satisfying. We infuse the mayo-sour cream mix with garlic, salt and fresh lime juice and enrobe the buttered, roasted corn. Then, dress the cobbettes with smoky paprika, parmagiano-reggiano cheese and sliced green onion. Plating on drizzled sriracha sauce and a final sprinkle of coarse salt brings it all together.
Let’s Make Some Corn Pops!
Use a gas grill to roast the corn for 20-25 minutes over medium heat. Turn 2-3 times to evenly cook it. Then shuck, remove the silks (be careful, it’s hot) trim and cut the cobs in half.
Skewer each piece, lightly butter, then use a kitchen torch to blacken the kernels. No torch, no problem. Return to the grill over high heat and turn a few times to blacken the kernels.
Roll each piece to liberally coat with the sour cream mayo mix, then the parmagiano-reggiano cheese. Garnish the plates with hot sauce, plate the corn pops and garnish them with the spice mix, sliced green onion shoots and the spicy salt. Print
Corn Pops
Fresh corn on a stick, roasted and blackened with mayo, sour cream, green onion and cheese
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh corn -or- 4 ears pre-shucked corn
- 1/4 stick butter
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 clove garlic – grated or microplaned
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 fresh lime – juiced
- 4 oz parmigiana-reggiano cheese – grated
- 1/4 cup green onion shoots – thinly sliced
- Stoned Epicurians spicy salt – garnish – get it HERE
- Sriracha hot sauce – garnish
Instructions
- Thoroughly mix the mayo, sour cream, lime juice, sea salt and garlic. Chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours to give the flavors time to meld
- Mix the paprika and chili powders together and set aside
- Roast the corn on the grill in the husk for 20 -25 minutes over medium heat, turning twice, then open the grill top, turn the heat to high and grill until the husks are charred – another 5 minutes
- Alternate Method for pre-shucked corn: cut the ears in half, boil in salted water for 6-7 minutes, drain, butter, skewer with a bamboo stick, blacken with a kitchen torch and proceed to step 7
- Remove the corn from the grill, shuck and remove the silks wearing oven mitts if necessary. Trim the ends and cut each ear in half. Return them to the grill over high heat, turning as necessary until the kernels blacken to your satisfaction
- Prepare plates and garnish with the sriracha sauce
- Skewer, roll and liberally coat the corn in the mayo mix, then the grated cheese and plate the corn
- Sprinkle with the chili powder/smoked paprika mix, the sliced green onion shoots and the spicy salt over each corn pop
- Serve immediately