Description
A creamy and flavorful Mexican Street Corn Soup featuring sweet corn, aromatic spices, and a hint of lime, topped with classic garnishes like cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and crispy tortilla strips. This comforting soup captures the essence of the beloved Mexican street corn in an easy-to-make, hearty bowl perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1.5 teaspoons chili powder
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 4 (15 oz.) cans corn kernels, drained
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 1/2-1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked pepper, to taste
Garnishes
- Fried tortilla strips
- Sliced jalapeno
- Fresh chopped cilantro
- Sour cream
- Cotija cheese
- Additional paprika for garnish
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the oil: In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering, preparing the base for sautéing the aromatics.
- Sauté onions: Add the diced yellow onion along with a couple pinches of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add garlic and spices: Stir in the thinly sliced garlic, chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, and ground coriander, seasoning with a couple more pinches of salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently to awaken the spices’ flavors.
- Cook corn: Add the drained corn kernels to the pot and cook on medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to combine and slightly toast the corn.
- Blend the soup: Transfer half of the corn mixture to a blender, pour in the vegetable broth, and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Combine and simmer: Pour the blended soup back into the pot with the remaining corn mixture and stir well to combine. Let the soup simmer gently for 5 minutes to marry the flavors.
- Add cream and lime: Stir in 1/2 to 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish and serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fried tortilla strips, sliced jalapenos, chopped fresh cilantro, dollops of sour cream, crumbled cotija cheese, a sprinkle of paprika, and lime wedges. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- You can adjust the heavy cream quantity based on your preferred soup richness and creaminess.
- For a spicier kick, increase the amount of chili powder or add more jalapenos as garnish.
- If fresh corn is available, you can substitute canned corn with about 4 cups of fresh corn kernels.
- Vegetable broth keeps this soup vegetarian and can be replaced with chicken broth if preferred.
- For a smoother texture, blend all the corn mixture instead of half.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
