esquites pizza is pretty much as delicious as it sounds!
I’m already thinking about the next time I’m going to make this insanely good esquites pizza.
what is esquites?
Esquites is like Mexican street corn (“elote”), but served off the cob, like a salad. It has all of the same components – corn, mayo, lime, chili powder, cotija cheese and cilantro – but is way easier to serve and eat. Like, dangerously so.
esquites pizza was not a stretch to imagine!
I served esquites recently, as a side with my cherry cola ribs (OMG those ribs – have you tried them?). I had quite a bit of the cotija cheese left over and was thinking of a way to use it, when I envisioned the esquites on a pizza. Yes, these are the things I think about as I’m drifting off to sleep! #foodbloggerproblems
what’s in esquites pizza?
This dish is essential made from the same ingredients as esquites – tweaked a bit for the recipe, and with a few additional items:
corn
mayonnaise
lime
chili powder
cotija cheese
cilantro
mozzarella cheese
pizza dough
it took a few tweaks to get this recipe “just right”!
Esquites pizza is one of the easiest dishes around – but it took me two tries to get it just right. The first time I made it I used the same proportions of mayo and lime juice as I used for the salad – mistake #1. I realized I needed a consistency that was closer to the mayo than the lime juice and adjusted the amounts accordingly.
The other mistake I made was in not grilling the corn first. I (wrongly) assumed that the corn would get all toasty brown in the high heat of the oven, but I could tell that the rest of the pizza would burn before that happened. Mistake #2!
so how do you make this pizza?
This street corn pizza couldn’t be easier – start with any pizza dough – store bought or homemade. Then spread a mixture of mayo, lime juice, cotija cheese and chili powder all over. Top with mozzarella cheese. Grill your corn, slice it off the cob and sprinkle on the pizza. Bake till golden brown and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and more cotija. Serve with lime wedges of course!
Just like elote, this is messy and delicious – and something a little different to boot! You must try it and let me know if you do!
Esquites Pizza
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ears of corn
- cornmeal
- pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 - 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese, divided
- chili powder
- 8 ounces shredded mozzarella
- chopped fresh cilantro and lime wedges, for garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees. Heat the grill according to directions.
- Remove the silks and all but the innermost husks from each ear of corn and grill until you get nice char marks all around. Set aside till cool enough to handle.
- Sprinkle a sheet pan with cornmeal. Stretch and shape the pizza dough and lay on top of the cornmeal.
- In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. The mixture should be spreadable and slightly thinned out. Add more lime juice - a bit at a time - if needed. Add half the cotija and stir to combine. Add chili powder to taste and spread all over the pizza dough, leaving a border. Top with the mozzarella.
- Use a large knife to remove the corn from the cobs and sprinkle over the pizza. Cook till golden brown and bubbly, 10 - 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the cilantro and reserved cotija cheese and serve with the lime wedges.
Notes
- You can use homemade or store bought pizza dough.
- If you don't want to grill the corn you can toast it in a hot skillet till golden brown.
Nutrition
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Hi! I'm Sheri!
Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!
