Elote Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp + Mango Salsa

As most of you know, I used to review restaurants before I switched gears and fell in love with home cooking. While I was dining out, one of the dishes I used to have all of the time was elote, AKA grilled Mexican corn on the cob with spices, crumbly cotija cheese (very similar to feta) and sometimes served with a zesty crema or aioli. All together, you get this sweet crunchy corn with a brilliant char, some smoke and heat from the spices, and some zesty, tangy creaminess from the crema or aioili. Please see below to get your taste buds turned on.

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Aw shucks this caption is so corny #getit #haha #cornpun #cornkween #childofthecorn #ChildOfTheMexicanStreetCorn

A post shared by Skyler Bouchard Oppenheim (@diningwithskyler) on Feb 27, 2017 at 9:44am PST

Elote is brilliant. That being said, I wanted to incorporate this beloved side dish and its unique flavors into a nutritious entrée. I used corn off the cob and sautéd it with some cauliflower rice and ground spices. To make this as easy and accessible as possible, I used powdered spices. However, always feel free to replace powder with the real deal. For example, if you want to use sliced chilis instead of chili powder, by all means do it! Same thing applies to garlic and onion. Also feel free to add any other ingredients that make you happy. There are no rules, just that you enjoy your food. 

The corn rice mixture itself is fabulous, but it still gives off “side dish” vibes. You can totally serve it as a side for a protein. I added seared shrimp (you can also use chicken, cod, salmon…any protein with a mild flavor) and then topped it all with a mango salsa. This just helped it come together as a more well-rounded main course. Mango salsa is not a traditional pairing for elote, however, I personally enjoy it. There is something about tropical sweetness combined with salty creamy cotija cheese, buttery seared shrimp, intense raw red onion and the fragrant, savory spices in the rice that makes me swoon. The sweetness of the mango also plays really nicely off the corn. However, feel free to skip the mango salsa and just serve the rice as is! Of course, it’s easier to make when there’s one less step.