One of the greatest simple pleasures of Mexico is snacking on scrumptious corn from a street vendor.

Here in Vallarta we are lucky to have both grilled elote (corn on the cob) and cups of yummy esquite available most evenings along the Malecon.

Elote is delicious, but a little more challenging to eat. It comes covered in whatever your heart desires: chile powder, butter, lime, mayonnaise or cream, grated cotija cheese. More messy, often times grilled, but can also be boiled, personally we prefer the smoky grilled version.

Esquite  is the other option, if you don’t want the messiness of eating corn still on the cob. With esquite the kernels are stripped from the cob, boiled or sautéed, and then served in a cup

And, like the whole cob elote, you have a ton of options for toppings: Lime, grated cheese, mayonnaise, cream, salsas, chile powder….