Summer has arrived and nothing feels better than relaxing out on the deck, sipping some cool refreshing drinks, and reminiscing about that last trip down South of the border because your family is driving you insane and your busy with work and you just can't escape anytime soon, eh? Well, maybe it isn't quite that bad, but since we are thinking about being South of the border, it does remind me of that delicious street corn found on every corner from Tijuana to Santa Cruz! No one knows what makes it so amazing, but it just seems to hit the spot whether you are out on the town having drinks, being a typical tourist and sightseeing ancient Mayan ruins, or simply running from the Cartel because you ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time and need a quick pick-me-up snack. Mexican Street Corn has been the go-to snack for any occasion and of course, that means it is beyond time we Americanize it with some bacon and white-boy cooking techniques! Sit back and relax a bit while I make the entire Central American population jealous they didn't think of adding bacon years ago......let's get cooking!
Unfortunately, Blackstone does not sponsor me, yet hint hint, but for today's recipe I will be breaking out the 22 inch griddle to fry up this tasty street corn. Obviously, it can be cooked in a large frying pan or indoor electric griddle as well, but sometimes it's fun to get outside and use the big boy toys, eh? Begin by chopping your bacon into bite-sized pieces. If you happen to have pancetta or whole slab bacon, I think it would be great to dice either into smaller cubes and absolutely OWN this recipe, but for the rest of us, regular old sliced bacon works just fine! Throw it down on your flat top and let it sizzle away for a few minutes until just prior to getting crispy.
Now the magic can really start to happen! Toss down a little minced garlic and continue to move things around for a minute till you can smell that wonderful fragrant Anti-Vampire aroma. As soon as you get a good whiff of deliciousness, throw down some frozen corn.....yes you heard correctly, FROZEN corn! It won't take long, but the frozen corn will quickly begin to warm and fry with the bacon and garlic. Normal street corn is typically grilled, but since we are doing our own thing we decided to use that rendered bacon grease to actually fry the corn for our own unique take on the recipe.
Continue to toss things around to prevent anything from burning for about 5 minutes, until the corn is heated and warmed through. Yeah that's right, grab a spoon and take a bite for yourself for Quality Assurance purposes! As soon as the corn is warmed, evenly spread some generic fajita seasoning over everything and stir to combine. So far so good, everyone? Once everything is nice and hot after a minute or so, scoop up the corn and bacon and move it to a large mixing bowl. Quickly chop up some fresh cilantro, why not an entire bunch, and mix it in with the hot corn and bacon. Oh things are starting to look and smell good, eh?
This would also be a good time to sprinkle some of that wonderful Tajin Seasoning over everything and stir it in. For those not in the know, Tajin is a chili-lime seasoning mix and goes great with this street corn or even on some freshly cut melon. I know it sounds crazy but just trust me, it's absolutely delish! Anyway, back to our now Bacon Fried Mexican Street Corn recipe. I say go slightly off course from the recipe card and go ahead and crumble in some fresh cotija cheese at this point. You probably went out to buy it just for this so go ahead and use it generously!
And voila, you have prepared some mega tasty, Americanized, over-the-top Bacon Fried Mexican Street Corn! Grab a big spoon and scoop out a nice portion into a small bowl or even a cup. Top with some fresh crema/sour cream and a bit more cotija cheese. No point in being stingy with it now, eh? This recipe is great for summer barbecues or even as a side for a weekday dinner. Store your leftovers in a sealed container and just reheat a bit to make everything nice and toasty warm again! Try it out and let me know what you think. Yeah I may have taken a classic dish and white-boy'd the hell out of it, but you will be thankful once you try it for yourself! Plenty of ways to change it up to your own liking as well...perhaps a squeeze of fresh lime juice or add in some sautéed onions. The possibilities are nearly endless with this one......just keep cooking!
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