Welcome to the world of flavors and textures with these Sautéed Brussels & Cotija Corn w. Lime Crema. If you’ve ever had Elotes, Grilled Mexican Street Corn, then you know the flavors you’re about to experience. If not, this side dish is about to rock your world. Pan fried Brussels to perfection tossed with grilled corn, cotija cheese and a lime crema. Finish it off with cilantro and thinly sliced jalapeños for an extra kick. This side dish is going to steal the show of your next meal!
Ingredients for this side dish.
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil — High quality EVOO is an absolute game changer! My go-to brand is Cobram Estates. I swear I could put a straw in the bottle and drink it straight, it’s SO good!
- 2 ears of corn, husked
- Salt– There are two type of salt I favor, Morton’s Kosher Salt and Maldon Sea Salt Flakes. Morton’s is ideal for seasoning meats and during cooking while Maldon flakes are best finishing a dish, seasoning with flakey salt just before serving is amazing for a fresh pop.
- Pepper
- 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chili powder — just enough for an added kick of flavor!
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled and divided — I love this salty, crumbled and smooth cheese. It’s subtle in flavor on it’s own but adds just the right amount of flavor to the dish as a whole, you don’t want to skip on this ingredient!
- 1/4 cup lime juice, divided — lime juice adds the perfect amount of brightness and acid that makes the ingredients shine.
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Cilantro leaves, for serving
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced for serving — we love heat! Feel free to remove the seeds or omit alltogether if you can’t handle too much heat.
Making the perfect side dish.
When meal-time hits, the focus is typically on the main dish but don’t sleep on this side dish! This one is bound to steal the show. Full of flavor and textures!
How-to sauté Brussels.
The KEY here is to work in batches. DO NOT overcrowd your skillet! Heat your cast iron skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Wait about 1 minute to ensure the oil has risen to temperature. You’ll know it’s ready when the oil shimmers, it’ll dance a little in the pan. Toss the Brussels in the pan and turn them all cut-side down. Cover them, but leave a crack in the lid. You want to both crisp the bottoms (cut-side) while slightly steaming the Brussels to soften them. There is nothing better than fork tender AND crispy-bottom Brussels. Cook untouched for 5-7 minutes. Once they’ve had time to brown, toss them and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, uncovered, until fork tender.
Making the cotija corn.
Whether it’s in the oven or on the grill, charring the corn will bring out a ton of roasted sweet flavor. Drizzle the corn with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook the corn until lightly charred for the perfect flavor. Once the corn has cooked, and is cool enough to handle, simply cut it from the cob and mix in the remaining ingredients. By adding the mayonnaise, chili powder, cotija cheese and lime juice to a bowl with the corn, this side dish is now reminiscent to all-time famous Mexican Street Corn (Elotes) earning a nickname of “Street Brussels”.
What to serve with “Street Brussels”
Since there is a Mexican flare to this dish, serve it up with tacos or bowls! Here are a few family favorites that would be a great main event to this newly popular side-dish:
TRAEGER TACO PIE WITH CORNBREAD TOPPING
Looking for more side dishes?
Here are a few to try:
Lastly, if you make this Sautéed Brussels & Cotija Corn w. Lime Crema recipe, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a comment! Above all, I love to hear from ya’ll and do my best to respond to every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of your dayyyummm good recreations is my favorite!
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Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ears of corn, husked
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled and divided
- 1/4 cup lime juice, divided
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Cilantro leaves, for serving
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven (or grill) 450°F.
- Drizzle the corn with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roasted the corn for 20-25 minutes, turning half way, until lightly charred. While the corn is cooking, prepare the Brussels.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet, when the oil shimmers add the Brussels to the pan, cut side down. Work in two batches to voice overcrowding in the pan (this helps with crisping!).
- Place a cracked lid over the Brussels and cook, untouched for 5-7 minutes. Remove the lid, toss and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the first batch from the skillet and repeat with the second batch.
- Once the corn is lightly charred, remove it from the oven and allow it too cool for 2 minutes or until it's cool enough to touch. Turn the cob on its end and cut the corn from the cob. Toss the corn, mayonnaise, chili powder, 1/4 cup of the cotija cheese and 2 tablespoons of lime juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once all the Brussels have been pan fried, remove the cast iron from the heat and return all Brussels to the skillet. Season with a pink or two of salt to taste.
- Add the cotija corn to the Brussels and toss.
- To make the lime crema, mix the sour cream and remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the lime crema over the Brussels and cotija corn.
- Top the skillet with the remaining 1/4 cup of cotija cheese, cilantro and jalapeños for serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information: 4 servings 452 cals / 38g F /20g C /13g P
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 ears of corn, husked
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, halved
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled and divided
- 1/4 cup lime juice, divided
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- Cilantro leaves, for serving
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven (or grill) 450°F.
- Drizzle the corn with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roasted the corn for 20-25 minutes, turning half way, until lightly charred. While the corn is cooking, prepare the Brussels.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet, when the oil shimmers add the Brussels to the pan, cut side down. Work in two batches to voice overcrowding in the pan (this helps with crisping!).
- Place a cracked lid over the Brussels and cook, untouched for 5-7 minutes. Remove the lid, toss and continue to cook for an additional 3-5 minutes or until fork tender. Remove the first batch from the skillet and repeat with the second batch.
- Once the corn is lightly charred, remove it from the oven and allow it too cool for 2 minutes or until it's cool enough to touch. Turn the cob on its end and cut the corn from the cob. Toss the corn, mayonnaise, chili powder, 1/4 cup of the cotija cheese and 2 tablespoons of lime juice in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Once all the Brussels have been pan fried, remove the cast iron from the heat and return all Brussels to the skillet. Season with a pink or two of salt to taste.
- Add the cotija corn to the Brussels and toss.
- To make the lime crema, mix the sour cream and remaining 2 tablespoons of lime juice in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the lime crema over the Brussels and cotija corn.
- Top the skillet with the remaining 1/4 cup of cotija cheese, cilantro and jalapeños for serving.
Notes
Nutrition Information: 4 servings 452 cals / 38g F /20g C /13g P
9 comments
This recipe smells so delicious and the crema tastes exactly like a corn in the cup (which is how we have it here on the border).
Erica– So glad to hear it! If you’re giving it a “border approved” stamp than this recipe is truly WINNING!
This went so well with the spicy chipotle lime chicken tacos I made tonight! I needed a new way to eat brussels sprouts and this is definitely added to the rotation. Great recipe!
William, heck yes!!
Made this tonight.. I didn’t have sour cream, so left off the crema, but it was still amazing! I could eat the whole thing! Thanks for sharing!!
Kelly– So glad you enjoyed it!
just made a half batch of this (since i never had Brussel sprouts and unsure if I would like them) for part of my meal prep this week with chicken fajitas that i used the frontera fajita sauce with, and this came out SOOOOO good. I made some substitutes like greek yogurt instead of the mayo and the fresh corn in my area looks bad right now so i used frozen instead. Definitely adding this to my list of go to meals. Hopefully the corn in my area starts looking good so i can try it with that instead!
Patrick, glad to hear this recipe has won you over! Great subs on this, well done!
great work well done thank you