I have been making Elote, a typical Mexican street food, which is grilled corn on the cob coated with mayo and spices, for years. We love it! In this recipe I deconstruct the corn on the cob recipe and make a salad instead. It is so good with fish, steak, pork, or chicken. I used the leftover salad the next day on shrimp tacos and it was delicious.

I used cod for this particular recipe because I knew it would hold up great on the grill and it was priced at $3.99 a pound. Flounder or sole cooks up nicely in a frying pan and pairs nicely with the salad too. I’m going to use this with tilapia next time and make fish tacos.

As long as you use gluten-free mayo, this meal is also gluten-free.

(I took 3 different pictures of ways you can plate this meal to give you some fun ideas if entertaining.)

I was able to make this for approximately $6.50 and then added grilled zucchini to round out the meal, which made the total price about $9.50 for four servings.

FISH WITH MEXICAN CORN –

Prep Time: 15 minutes       Cook Time: 10 minutes            Serves: 4 for approx. $6.50

Ingredients:

• 3 ears corn on cob, shucked
• 3 to 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
• 1 green onion
• 1/4 cup cilantro, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons mild feta cheese or crumbled cotija*
• 4 cod fillets, 6 ounces each
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
• 1 to 2 jalapeno chile, thinly sliced

*Cotija, is a crumbly, semidry Mexican cheese that’s so good but didn’t fit in my $10 or less budget.

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. (Cast iron works great for this if you have one.) Shave kernels from corn. Increase heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Add corn and cook, without stirring, until corn begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring, until corn is cooked through, about 1 more minute. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine mayo, lime juice, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the chipotle chile powder. Add the corn, green onion, cilantro, and cheese. Toss until combined.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Brush fish with remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cod onto oiled grill grates and grill until fish is browned and flakes easily, about 3 minutes per side.

I served a basic grilled zucchini with this meal, which is really easy. Just brush zucchini slices with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook on grill until it browns up and is tender, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. I bought 3 zucchini to feed 4 people.

For pricing –

Like I said, the cod was on sale for $3.99 a pound and corn was on sale for 25 cents an ear. The most expensive item in this recipe is the chipotle chile powder, which can be pricey when first buying it but it will last you a long time since you don’t have to use much.