Esquites con Carnitas (Street Corn Cups with Pork)
Warm charred sweetcorn kernels tossed with lime, chilli and creamy elote sauce, topped with crisp pork.
Made with Carnitas (slow cooked pork) and Elote sauce (street corn crema). Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time25 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £2.10 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a high heat. Add the sweetcorn in an even layer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring only now and then, until some kernels are browned and charred.
10 min - 2
Meanwhile, crisp the carnitas (see the base recipe) in a separate hot dry pan for 3 minutes, until golden at the edges and steaming hot all the way through.
3 min - 3
Take the corn off the heat and stir in the spring onions and half the lime juice.
- 4
Spoon into four cups or bowls and add a generous spoonful of elote sauce (see the base recipe) to each.
- 5
Top with carnitas, cotija, coriander and a dusting of chilli powder, with the remaining lime juice squeezed over.
Tips
- Let the corn sit undisturbed so it chars. Constant stirring steams it.
- Cotija is salty and crumbly. Feta is the best UK stand-in.
- Add a pinch of chilli powder at the end rather than the start for the brightest flavour.
Storing and freezing
Best eaten warm and fresh. Leftovers keep for 2 days in the fridge and are good cold as a salad.
Questions
What is the difference between elote and esquites?
Elote is corn on the cob, esquites is the same flavours served as kernels in a cup, often warm from a street cart.
Can I use tinned sweetcorn?
Yes, drain it well and dry before charring.
Is it gluten free?
Yes, as long as the chilli powder and elote sauce contain no wheat.
More made with carnitas (slow cooked pork)
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.