Street Corn Ribs (Mexican Corn Ribs)
Street Corn Ribs are your favorite Mexican street corn cut into fun, grabbable riblets — grilled, spiced, and topped with a creamy lime-jalapeño sauce, cotija, and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 3 ears fresh corn
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh jalapeño minced
- Juice from 1/2 lime
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cotija cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro diced
- Oil as needed, for coating
Instructions
- Heat the grill to medium. Clean the corn ears of their husks. With a sharp chef's knife, cut off the ends of the corn just above the top of the stem. Score the corn ear in the middle, then use your hands to gently break the ears in half. Stand the ear halves up on the cut end on a cutting board. Gently apply pressure with your knife to the core and rock it back and forth to slowly cut through the center, holding the corn steady. Place each half core-side down and cut in half again through the kernels. Repeat with all the corn. While the grill heats, mix the cumin, paprika, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lime juice, and jalapeño and mix well. Line the ribs on a tray and spray or brush each with oil, then sprinkle on the seasoning. Add the ribs to the grill cut-side down, close the lid, and cook for about 8 minutes. Flip to the other cut side and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the ribs back to the tray, brush on the cream mixture, sprinkle with cheese, and top with fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
Notes
Vegetarian and gluten-free. No cotija? Unseasoned feta works great. The spice blend is fully customizable — add more chili powder for heat, or more paprika for milder. When converting fresh herbs/spices to dried, remember 1 tablespoon fresh equals 1 teaspoon dried. Cutting the corn is the hardest part: use a sharp knife, halve the ears first, and keep the core intact as the "rib." If cutting feels unsafe, grill whole ears for regular street corn instead. No grill? Cook them in a pan on the stovetop. Make-ahead: cut the corn the morning of and refrigerate until ready to cook. For parties, keep grilled ribs warm in a crockpot on the warm setting and dress just before serving. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.