05/26/2026
This past Memorial Day weekend, I hosted a family gathering where I wanted to try out some authentic Mexican recipes (or at least, as authentic as I could make them, anyway). I love spice and heat, but not everyone in my family can take it, so I had to tone it down a bit. However, working with fresh jalapeños and the summer's first corn was lots of fun and super tasty! I'll post links to the recipes I used in the comments, plus the mods I made for them here.
If you've ever had elote - Mexican street corn - you'll know it's an amazing and messy treat, so I decided to make a salad version of it called Esquites, perfect for those who either don't want to get messy, or for those who need a dish that is gentle on their teeth. It was the star dish of the night, eclipsing the tasty fire grilled yogurt chipotle marinated chicken and chipotle prawns! There were two excellent techniques I used to make the Esquites easy to make, starting with cutting the corn off the cob. (I do not claim to have invented them, I'm just passing them along LOL.) First, use a small metal bowl turned upside down inside a bigger metal bowl, cut off the tip of the raw ear of corn and hold it vertical using the end of the cob, then using a sharp knife, run it down the side to cut the kernels off. They will land in the bowl below, and the small bowl elevates the cob so you can reach all the way down.
The second technique I used was for charring the corn. Yes, you can put the corn on the cob on the grill and char it that way, or you can do what I did. Get a wok up to a really high heat, put in a couple of tablespoons of a neutral high smoke point oil such as canola, and carefully pour in the fresh cut corn. Spread it out and let it sit for a bit before stirring. Let it char/burn a little and then move it around to get as many kernels charred but not all the way burnt to get the caramelization, smokiness and char that you need for the Esquites dish. You can also do this with frozen corn in winter, and I imagine you can do this with canned corn (my favorite is Del Monte Summer Crisp). Link to the recipe is in the comments below.
The other dish I made is called Frijoles Charros, or cowboy beans - the kind you get in a cup at your local small Mexican restaurant instead of refried beans. There is a lot of flavorful liquid in the dish, and it is so easy to make. Because I didn't want to cook all day, I started the cooking process in my Instant Pot knowing it was going to be pressure cooked to finish. That's really the only mod I made for the dish, that and I didn't have pinto beans so I used Northern beans. I used red onion because that's also what I had on-hand, and I cut some fresh jalapeño as well. The recipe I'm sharing didn't seem to have a spice mix listed, so I made my own with a combination of ground cumin, basic chile powder (mild), chipotle powder, pasilla powder, California chile powder, and Himalayan pink salt. Also a few cloves of crushed garlic. I soaked the beans for about an hour before in water mixed with about a 1/2 tsp. of baking soda, which helps to make the beans more creamy in the end. Once I got all my layers cooked, the beans in, and water needed (I used about 5 cups because I knew it was going into the pressure cooker/Instant Pot), I set it for about 40 minutes on high. After checking, I let it go for another ten minutes, and it was done. My uncle raved about "the soup", and I'm glad I made enough extra to leave him some for lunch the next day!
I hope you'll try these recipes this summer. They are easy to make the day before if you need to, and will make you the star of your next cookout/potluck/family dinner, I promise!
