Mexican-Style Corn with Chili and Lime (Esquites)

The popular street food esquites can be found throughout Mexico City, where vendors ladle the brothy corn-off-the-cob into paper cups and serve it with a spoon.

To make esquites, corn typically is roasted or grilled, then the kernels are simmered with an herb called epazote before being finished with crema (Mexican sour cream), mayonnaise, lime, chili and cotija cheese.

Our version of esquites is based on the recipe Jorge Fritz and Beto Estúa taught us at Casa Jacaranda cooking school in Mexico City. Epazote has a unique flavor and aroma that is difficult to mimic. The herb is not widely available in U.S. supermarkets; Fritz and Estúa suggested a combination of fresh parsley and basil, so that’s what we call for in our recipe.

Plump, tender kernels cut from ears of fresh corn are the first choice for making esquites, but in non-summer months, an equal amount of frozen corn kernels that have been thawed and patted dry will work; they’ll just take a little longer to brown.