When fresh Ohio sweet corn is in season, chef Eric Williams grills ears of it, dressing it with butter, a house-made crema and grated queso cotija. He then adds some dehydrated chili lime salt, pico de gallo and a fresh lime on the side. The dish was an instant hit at his Cleveland restaurant, Momocho, and it’s endured ever since. “The whole point was, while you’re eating it, on the sides of your face you get the mayonnaise and the cheese and it’s real messy,” says Williams. “It was a huge, huge hit, to the point where when we took it off [the menu], people were upset.”

Mexican Street Corn | Makes 6 to 8 servings
Recipe courtesy of Momocho
 
INGREDIENTS
6 to 8 ears sweet corn
1/4 pound softened butter
1 cup mayonnaise 
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup tajin (Latin fruit and snack seasoning) or kosher salt seasoned with chili powder
1 cup pico de gallo
1 cup grated queso cotija or Parmesan cheese
Lime wedges 

DIRECTIONS
Peel back the outer leaves of the corn and remove silks. Leave one end of the corn covered. Combine mayonnaise and sour cream until smooth to form a crema and set aside. Grill the corn over high heat and rotate occasionally until cooked through for a marked but not blackened look (about 8 to 10 minutes depending on grill) and coat with butter. Slather each ear with crema, and garnish with two heaping tablespoons of grated cheese, a tablespoon of pico de gallo and a shake of tajin or chili salt. Finish with a squeeze of lime, if desired.