On the streets of Santa Maria, California, street vendors (think an ice cream man with a ‘trash can’ full of hot corn on the cob instead of ice cream) roam the sidewalks selling corn on the cob for a dollar an ear! They slide a wooden skewer in one end for you to hold the corn. We crave it often and it’s become a regular on our Saturday grill nights! Give it a try. You’ll be surprised!
Prep Time::15 mins
Cook Time::20 mins
Total Time::35 mins
Servings::4
Yield::4 servings
Ingredients
4 ears corn on the cob, husks and silk removed
¼ cup mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's®/Best Foods®), or to taste – divided
¼ cup margarine in a squeezable container, or to taste – divided
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste – divided
1 teaspoon chili powder, or to taste – divided
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and gently place ears of corn into the boiling water. Reduce heat to low and simmer until corn is very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove an ear of corn with tongs and spread about 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise all over the kernels. Squeeze about 1 tablespoon of margarine over the ear of corn in a zig-zag line, turning the ear as you squeeze. Generously sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the ear and dust with chili powder. Repeat with remaining ears of corn.
Cook’s Note
For a less adventurous taste, pour the lime juice onto a plate, roll the corn in the lime juice, then sprinkle with salt and chili powder to taste. Either way is incredible and until recently, I ate it with just the lime juice, chili powder, and salt since I don't care for mayo. Boy, was I missing out! Traditionally, they have bottles of concentrated lime juice with spray tops, and they spritz the corn instead of rolling it in the juice. I don't use enough lime juice to buy it by the bottle, so I roll it in fresh lime juice.