Roasted Mexican Corn

I've been thinking about this corn since June.  That sounds weird, I know...but I can explain. One of my best friends got married last June and for the wedding reception, they were able to get their favorite food truck, "Get Sauced", to serve the food. They have amazing tacos with a variety of sauces that feature Asian & BBQ flavors.  One of the sides they featured was a cup of roasted Mexican corn.  I was amazed at how something so simple could be so delicious - and for me, it was more memorable than the actual tacos!

  

My lovely, beautiful friends Kara & Mark and the Get Sauced truck :)

Photos by Spencer Combs

Unfortunately, the food truck and my friends live in the twin cities in Minnesota and I rarely get a chance to visit - so I knew I would probably never get to eat from that food truck again. Although nothing compares to the fresh roasted corn straight from the truck, and I didn't have a recipe to go off of...I must say, I think I came pretty close to recreating the amazing flavors of the roasted corn I had back in June. This features an aioli-type sauce, lightly spiced with chili and the tangy citrus flavors of lemon & lime, then topped with freshly chopped cilantro and finely shredded feta cheese. (Get Sauced used crumbled cotija cheese but in a last minute rush I substituted feta when I couldn't find cotija cheese, and it tasted just as good!)

  

I will definitely be making this again, and would encourage you to give it a try - and if you live in the Minneapolis area or have the opportunity to visit - try to find the Get Sauced food truck...you won't be disappointed.  

Roasted Mexican Corn
Serves 6-8

For the corn:

1 pound frozen sweet yellow & white corn kernels (in the summer I would use fresh sweet corn on the cob!)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

Heat the oven to 450 F.

Place the corn in a colander and rinse with cool water to partially defrost. Drain well. Spread the corn in a single layer on a large baking sheet that has an edge. Drizzle with the oil. Stir to coat well and redistribute to a single layer. Place in the preheated oven. 

Bake for 15 minutes, or until there are some nicely browned corn kernels throughout.  Stir occasionally to ensure the kernels roast evenly.  While the corn is roasting, make the sauce. 

For the ‘aioli’ sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise

Finely grated zest of 1 medium lemon (or 1 teaspoon packed)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt & Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all sauce ingredients together and mix well.  Mix roasted corn with aioli sauce and top with chopped cilantro and finely shredded feta cheese (you can shred it when it is in block form) or crumbled cotija cheese.