Mexican Street Corn Nachos

I’ve just about Mexican Street Corn-ed everything I could possibly think of on this site, and just when I thought I had nothing else to give, these Mexican Street Corn Nachos came to mind. Some of my past favorites have been corn dogs, twice baked potatoes and flatbread, to name a few. Now these nachos have taken over the title of my new favorite version of such a classic dish. It also happens to be a great end-of-summer Labor Day recipe, one that I hope you’ll all give a try this weekend. It’s the perfect vegetarian recipe because it’s filling and packed with so much flavor, you don’t even miss the meat!

Let’s start by cooking up some fresh corn on the cob. Set a stovetop grill pan or large cast iron skillet over high heat. Drizzle the corn with oil and season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper.

**Note: If you can’t find fresh corn at the store, you can definitely use canned or frozen corn instead. Just thaw (or drain and rinse, if using canned) and pat extremely dry with a few paper towels.**

Once very hot, place the corn in the pan and cook, turning often, until charred on all sides, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and let cool.

**Tip: Alternately, you can also place the corn on a baking sheet and place under the broiler and turn them as the char all around. Or you can grill on an outdoor grill of course.**

You can’t have nachos without a cheese sauce. This is a basic béchamel sauce that gets seasoned with some spices and then cheese gets melted into it. It’s delicious!

Set a saucepan over medium-high heat with the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened.

Season with ground garlic, ground onion, paprika, cumin, cayenne or chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the pepper jack cheese and 1/4 cup cotija until melted through. Keep warm.

**Note: If you want to keep the level of spiciness down, you can use Monterey jack cheese instead of pepper jack if you’d like. Cotija is a crumbly Mexican cheese that is sort of a cross between parmesan and feta. You can find it in the refrigerated section at the grocery store right by the salsas!**

Once the corn is cool enough to handle, using a sharp knife remove the kernels of the cob and place in a large bowl. Add in the mayonnaise, 1/4 cup cotija cheese, cilantro, most of the serrano pepper (saving a bit for topping), lime zest and juice, and most of the scallions (saving a bit for topping as well).

Give it a stir until well combined. and then taste it and season with a bit of salt and pepper as you see fit. It might not need so much salt as the cotija cheese is rather salty. 

To assemble the nachos, place the chips on a large platter in an even layer. Drizzle with the warm cheese sauce and top with the corn mixture. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cotija cheese, serrano peppers, scallions, fresh cilantro, crema drizzle and cayenne pepper.

This is a great vegetarian meal, but if you’re like me and don’t always eat vegetarian, you can also top it with diced up grilled chicken or even browned Mexican chorizo!

Nachos are obviously best eaten right away while they’re still warm and the cheese is still oozy, but if you do want to plan ahead, you can definitely make the corn topping ahead of time. Just mix together, cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to assemble the nachos! This is the perfect end-of-summer meal and great for parties—outdoors or indoors alike!

Mexican Street Corn Nachos

If you're in need of a great Labor Day or end-of-summer dish, these Mexican Street Corn Nachos are the way to go! They're filling and packed with flavor!

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

• 3 fresh ears of corn
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 3/4 cup finely grated Cotija cheese divided
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro plus more for topping
• 1 serrano pepper finely sliced or minced
• 1 lime zested and juiced
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 8 ounces restaurant style tortilla chips sturdy
• 2 tablespoons Mexican crema optional
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne or chili powder

Instructions

• Set a stovetop grill pan or large cast iron skillet over high heat. Drizzle the corn with oil and season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Once very hot, place the corn in the pan and cook, turning often, until charred on all sides, about 2 to 4 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and let cool.
• Set a saucepan over medium-high heat with the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about 30 seconds. Slowly whisk in the milk and cook until thickened. Season with the spices and a pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the pepper jack cheese and 1/4 cup cotija until melted through. Keep warm.
• Once the corn is cool enough to handle, using a sharp knife remove the kernels of the cob and place in a large bowl. Add in the mayonnaise, 1/4 cup cotija cheese, cilantro, most of the serrano pepper (saving a bit for topping), lime zest and juice, and most of the scallions (saving a bit for topping as well). Give it a stir until well combined. Taste it and season with a bit of salt and pepper.
• To assemble the nachos, place the chips on a large platter in an even layer. Drizzle with the warm cheese sauce and top with the corn mixture. Sprinkle the top with the remaining cotija cheese, serrano peppers, scallions, fresh cilantro, crema drizzle and cayenne pepper. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Author: The Candid Appetite