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    Home » All Recipes » Appetizers

    Esquites con Tuétano + VIDEO

    Published: Jul 19, 2018 · Updated: Nov 7, 2024 by Maggie Unzueta

    Esquites con Tuétano (or Mexican Corn with Bone Marrow) is Mexican street food at its best. A rich and delicious dish that's easy to recreate at home.
    Jump to Recipe
    Esquites con Tuétano is Mexican street food at its best. Follow the step-by-step pictures or watch the video to recreate this rich and delicious dish at home. by Mama Maggies Kitchen
    Esquites con Tuetano in cup beef marrow bone on top

    These Esquites con Tuétano is all the rage in Mexico City.

    This post may include affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Can I get a round of applause for Mexican street food? Better yet, can I get a standing ovation?!!

    Lines wrapped around the corner. Mexican street food stands run out of this amazing deliciousness every single night.

    Takes elote en vaso and elote mexicano to another level of deliciousness!

    Rumba Meats Bone Marrow Package

    Don’t book your flight yet. You can easily make this at home.

    Rumba Meats Bone Marrow Package Vacuum Sealed

    I ordered the a bone marrow pack. Everything arrived in an insulated box to keep them nice and cold. The bones are also vacuum-sealed, keeping in the freshness.

    Finger pointing to center of Rumba Meats Bone Marrow Package

    See the center of the bones. That is pure fatty goodness!

    Beef Bone Marrows

    Remove the Rumba Meats Beef Marrow Bones from the package and set them aside. These are the same bones that you use to make Carne con Chile Colorado and
    Caldo de Res.

    Bone Marrow Garlic Onion Epazote

    In a large stock pot, add the Beef Marrow Bones. Epazote is one of those herbs that’s sooooo Mexican. I love the smell! Especially when it lingers on my hands… mmm! You will also need half an onion and garlic cloves. Not necessary to chop up this half of onion.

    Cooking Bone Marrows Bones

    Lots and lots of water. Enough to cover the bones. We are making a broth and cooking the bones. You will have broth leftover. If you don’t use it right away, you can freeze it for later.

    Chicken Bouillon Teaspoon

    Beef bouillon or chicken bouillon. Either will work in this case. If you don’t want to use it, you can also use regular salt.

    Hand holding black peppercorn next to stove and pot

    Grind up some pepper and add to the pot.

    Oregano leaves is what I had in the cupboard, but you can also use ground oregano.

    Lid on the pot of bone marrow broth

    Put a lid and let this cook for 20 minutes. In essence, you’re making a beef bone soup that everyone loves and enjoys. I make it when someone in my family is sick. Move over, chicken soup! 🙂

    Butter and diced onions cooking in a stock pot

    Now, in a separate stock pot. Add the butter. Chopped diced onion sauteed in butter… Everything is bettah with buttah!

    Hand holding small plate of chopped epazote

    Time for some more epazote. This time, I chopped it up. If you’re a big epazote fan, you can add more. Some people don’t really like it because it has a very strong flavor. You can omit altogether if that’s the case.

    Butter Onion Epazote cooking in a stock pot

    Let this cook for 1 minute. Then add the corn. Fresh corn is best so it can absorb the bone marrow flavor, but I used frozen corn. If you are using fresh corn, cook for 5 minutes longer.

    Yellow corn in a stock pot

    When being corny is good. LOL. Summer time is corn season. Fresh is good, but frozen corn is something I almost always have on hand. By the way, they freeze the corn during the season. That’s why frozen corn tastes so good.

    Ladling Bone Marrow Broth on stove

    Ladle in some of the beef bone broth from the other pot. I added only 1 cup of broth. Make sure not to make it too soupy. You are looking for a chunky, corn consistency.

    Cooking spoon holding cooked Bone Marrows in stock pot of corn

    Next up, add the cooked bone marrow bones. You really want that bone marrow flavor. Let this cook for a few minutes before assembling your Esquites con Tuétano. This is also the time to taste for salt. Add it if necessary.

    Corn in a glass

    To assemble, you need a cup. I know, I know this is a dessert cup. We are indulging after all. Start by adding a few tablespoons of corn.

    We love corn in Mexico! Also see Pan de Elote and Atole de Elote.

    Adding mayo to esquites

    One tablespoon of mayonnaise. If you don’t like it, you can also use crema mexicana or sour cream.

    Lime Juicer over the cup of esquites

    I love the tanginess that lime juice gives. It also adds freshness. Another thing to note: In Mexico, we mainly use key limes. In a pinch, you can also use yellow lemons.

    Tongs holding Bone Marrow

    Using a knife or a spoon, push in the bone marrow and out of the bone. Fatty and creamy and heavenly! Ooooh yes!

    Tajin in esquites, or Mexican corn glass

    It wouldn’t be Esquites con Tuétano without chile powder. If you’re into spicy, you can add a spicier chile like chile de arbol powder.

    Esquites con Tuétano, or Mexican corn with bone marrow

    Repeat in layers until your cup is full. How many layers you add depend on your cup. Some people will add Cotija Cheese to their Mexican corn cups, but this totally optional. Hope you enjoy these rich and creamy Esquites con Tuétano!

    Table of Contents

    • 1 HUNGRY FOR MORE?
    • 2 Esquites con Tuétano
      • 2.1 Ingredients
      • 2.2 Instructions
      • 2.3 Video
      • 2.4 Nutrition

    HUNGRY FOR MORE?

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    Esquites con Tuetano in cup beef marrow bone on top

    Esquites con Tuétano

    Esquites con Tuétano (or Mexican Corn with Bone Marrow) is Mexican street food at its best. A rich and delicious dish that's easy to recreate at home.
    No ratings yet
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizers
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 735kcal
    Author: Maggie Unzueta
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 6-8 Beef Marrow Bones
    • 1 sprig epazote + 4 chopped epazote leaves divided
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • ½ onion + ½ diced onion divided
    • 6 cups of water
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon beef bouillon can also use chicken bouillon
    • ½ teaspoon oregano
    • ½ stick butter
    • 2 cups frozen corn kernels
    • 8 tablespoons mayonnaise
    • Juice of 4 limes
    • Salt to taste
    • Chile powder to taste
    • Queso Cotija optional

    Instructions

    • In a large pot, add the Beef Marrow Bones, 1 sprig epazote, garlic cloves, and ½ onion.
    • Add water, pepper, bouillon, and oregano.
    • Cover and cook for 20 minutes.
    • In a separate pot, add butter, ½ diced onion, and chopped epazote.
    • Cook for 1 minute or until onion is translucent, stirring frequently.
    • Add corn kernels.
    • Cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Ladle about 2 cups of the beef marrow broth into the pot with the corn mixture.
    • Do not make the corn mixture too soupy. It should be more chunky.
    • Add the cooked beef marrow bones.
    • Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
    • After 5 minutes, if it needs more liquid, add more beef bone broth.
    • Taste for salt.
    • Add salt if needed.
    • To assemble:
    • In a cup, add a few tablespoons of corn, mayo, lime juice, chile powder, and bone marrow.
    • Repeat depending on the depth of the cup.
    • Garnish with a beef bone marrow.

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 735kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 74g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 370mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 211IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @MamaMaggiesKitchen or tag #MamaMaggiesKitchen!

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    About Maggie Unzueta

    Maggie Unzueta is the face behind In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been publishing Mexican recipes and creating delicious recipes since 2010. From family recipes to her extensive travels throughout Mexico, she brings traditional Mexican flavors from South of the Border and into your kitchen. Maggie has been featured in notable culinary websites and other media outlets. For more details, check out her About page.

    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Laura

      December 10, 2019 at 8:57 pm

      Delicious recipe !!!Thank you.

      Reply
      • Maggie U

        August 13, 2020 at 4:30 pm

        So glad you enjoyed this!

        Reply
    2. Ananya

      June 18, 2019 at 2:39 pm

      Ha ha. This is making my mouth water like crazy!! What a great recipe. Thanks for sharing <3

      Reply
    3. Nene

      June 18, 2019 at 1:39 pm

      This looks so delicious.. never tried anything with bone marrow before but will have to give it a shot

      Reply
    4. Roya

      June 17, 2019 at 10:38 pm

      I never tried this dish before, but I am no stranger to meat with bone marrow . I can almost imagine how it is taste like. We have a very similar dish . It is making me hungry.

      Reply
    5. Geeky Daddy

      June 17, 2019 at 6:39 pm

      I have never tried a recipe using bone marrow before, but being from Nebraska, I will try anything with corn in it.

      Reply

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