Grilled Corn with Pinto Mayo and Almond Cotija
Elote rebuilt without a fridge: mashed pinto beans stand in for mayonnaise, ground almonds for the cheese.
- calories
- 290
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 36
- protein
- 7 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 32 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Snack
- Grill grate
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Vegetarian
- Vegan
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Real dishes
- Pre-mix at home
- Day one only
- Basic
Ingredients
| Corn on the cob | 6 ears | husked at home so you are not shucking over a fire |
|---|---|---|
| Slivered almonds | 1/4 cup | |
| Nutritional yeast | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Canned pinto beans | 1/4 cup | drained; a small can is enough |
| Garlic | 6 cloves | minced at home |
| Onion | 1/2 | chopped fine |
| Vegetable oil | 5 tbsp | 4 for the sauce, 1 for the corn |
| Water | 2 tbsp | from your bottle |
| Limes | 3 | one juiced for the sauce, two in wedges |
| Jalapeño | 1 | diced fine |
| Cilantro | 1/4 cup | |
| Cayenne pepper | to taste |
Method
- At home, grind the almonds fine in a food processor and shake them in a bag with the nutritional yeast and salt. That is the cotija.
- In camp, mash the drained pinto beans against the side of a cup with a spoon until there are no whole beans left.
- Stir in the garlic, onion, lime juice, 4 tbsp of oil, and 2 tbsp of water. Beat it hard for a minute. It will not emulsify like mayonnaise, but it should go thick and spreadable.
- Rub the ears with the last tablespoon of oil and lay them on the grate over hot coals. Turn every three minutes, about twelve minutes total, until charred in patches.
- Spread the pinto sauce over each ear, then roll it in the almond mixture.
- Top with jalapeño, cilantro, and cayenne. Squeeze a lime wedge over it.
Elote depends on two things a campsite cannot supply: mayonnaise and crumbly cheese. Mashed pinto beans with oil and lime cover the first job. They are not an emulsion, but they are thick, acidic, and they cling to a hot ear of corn, which is all the sauce has to do. Ground almonds with nutritional yeast and salt handle the second. The yeast supplies the savory edge that would otherwise come from aged cheese.
The almond mix is worth grinding at home and carrying in a jar. Doing it in camp means either a food processor you did not bring or ten minutes of chopping. Everything else is knife work you can do on a tailgate while the coals settle. Corn keeps a day out of the cooler without complaint, so this is a first-night dinner.
Packing
Almond cotija goes in a jar, premixed. Garlic and onion get chopped at home into a small container. Corn rides loose in the crate. The bean can is the only heavy item, and you can drain it before you leave.
Variations
- No fire: cut the kernels off raw and toss them with the sauce and cotija as a salad.
- Freeze-dried corn rehydrated in hot water carries this into a backpack, though you lose the char.
- Sunflower seeds in place of almonds make it nut-free and taste close enough.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/spicy-vegan-elote