Why it works: Corn and lime work together. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 773 recipes. Both carry decanal, which smells soap, orange peel. The science ↓
Elote
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the grill
Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill or heat a gas grill to high.
Brush grill grate with oil.
Grill the corn
Combine chile powder and cayenne in a small bowl.
Grill corn, turning occasionally with tongs, until cooked through and lightly charred, about 10 minutes.
Finish and serve
Remove from grill and immediately brush each ear with 1½ tsp. mayonnaise.
Sprinkle each with 1 Tbsp. cheese and a pinch of chile powder mixture. Squeeze 1 lime wedge over each ear and serve.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 9 of 10 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 9 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Ricotta Cheese | 1/2 cup (124g) part-skim | 174 |
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp (14g) | 119 |
| Cheese | 1 oz (28g) cheddar | 113 |
| Parmesan Cheese | 1 oz (28g) | 110 |
| Butter | 1 tbsp (14g) | 102 |
| Egg | 1 large egg (50g) | 78 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup kernels (82g) | 77 |
| Lime | juice of 1 lime (44ml) | 11 |
| Cayenne | 1 tsp (1.8g) | 6 |
| Pastry | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.
Explore the science
The flavor team
The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.
-
Corn + limetop 5% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together773 recipes
Shared aroma: decanal (soap, orange peel).
-
Butter + cheesetop 8% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,962 recipes
Shared aroma: delta-dodecalactone (sweet, creamy).
-
Corn + buttertop 14% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together7,345 recipes
Shared aroma: 2,3-pentanedione (butter, sweet).
-
Corn + cheesetop 17% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together880 recipes
Shared aroma: butanoic acid ethyl ester (sweet).
-
Cheese + limetop 25% of all pairsSmell alikemoderateCooked together355 recipes
Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).
Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs
What each ingredient does
- Corn
- Its natural sugars caramelize and char on the hot grate, giving sweet, smoky flavor.
- Mayonnaise or unsalted butter
- Adds fat that carries the spices and helps the cheese cling to the hot corn.
- Cotija cheese, parmesan, or ricotta salata
- Adds salty, crumbly richness that contrasts with the sweet, charred corn.
- Chile powder and cayenne
- Add warm heat and aroma that bloom on the hot corn.
- Lime
- Adds acidity that brightens the rich toppings and balances sweetness.
The step that matters
Brushing the mayonnaise or butter on right after grilling. The corn must be hot so the fat melts and spreads evenly, and the cheese and spices stick. If the ears cool first, the coating stays patchy and the toppings slide off.
Swap the lime
How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (corn, butter, cheese):
- Coconutfits better
- Figfits better
- Applefits better
- Limethe original
Fit is the average pairing score against corn, butter, cheese. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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