
These Esquites con Tuétano is all the rage in Mexico City.
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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!
Don’t book your flight yet. You can easily make this at home.
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.
See the center of the bones. That is pure fatty goodness!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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! 🙂
Now, in a separate stock pot. Add the butter. Chopped diced onion sauteed in butter… Everything is bettah with buttah!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
One tablespoon of mayonnaise. If you don’t like it, you can also use crema mexicana or sour cream.
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.
Using a knife or a spoon, push in the bone marrow and out of the bone. Fatty and creamy and heavenly! Ooooh yes!
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.
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
Esquites con Tuétano
Esquites con Tuétano (or Mexican Corn with Bone Marrow) is Mexican street food at its best. A rich and delicious dish at home that's easy to recreate at home.
Ingredients
- 6-8 Rumba Meats 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 Rumba Meats 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.
Enjoy!
Notes
You can use fresh or frozen corn.
For fresh corn, add 5 minutes more cooking time.
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Maggie Unzueta is the writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer, videographer, and creator of In Mama Maggie's Kitchen. She has been developing easy and authentic Mexican food, Mexican-inspired recipes, and traveling tips 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.
Delicious recipe !!!Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed this!
Ha ha. This is making my mouth water like crazy!! What a great recipe. Thanks for sharing <3
This looks so delicious.. never tried anything with bone marrow before but will have to give it a shot
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.
I have never tried a recipe using bone marrow before, but being from Nebraska, I will try anything with corn in it.