Delish editors handpick every product we feature. We may earn commission from the links on this page.

Have you ever had esquites so good, you wanted to drink it straight out of the bowl? Esquites is the iconic Mexican street food made from corn kernels, mayo, lime, and chili powder, like elotes, but in a cup (literally elote en vaso!). When it came to making this soup, I looked no further than corn chowder—the quintessential New England comfort food that features loads of sweet corn, bacon, and potato. The warm, creamy soup and the cool, sweet, acidic esquites combine in one bowl to create an insanely good contrast of texture, temperature, and flavor.

To balance the creaminess of the soup and the corn topping, I blended the soup with starchy potato to get the classic chowder texture while using less cream. I love how the blended potatoes transform the texture of the soup, but if you want to keep a few chunks of potato in tact, simply blend half of the soup instead of the whole batch. The bright acidity in the corn topping will also help cut through the creaminess of the chowder. You can use fresh corn on the cob or frozen corn!

To make this vegetarian, swap the bacon for sliced shiitake mushrooms and butter.

Store leftover soup in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Store the esquites topping in the refrigerator separately in an airtight container for up to 5 days.  

thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

ears of corn, kernels removed (about 3 1/2 c.), cobs reserved

jalapeños, seeded and chopped, divided 

cloves garlic, finely chopped, divided

large russet potato (about 13 oz.), peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces

chili powder, plus more for serving

Mexican crema or sour cream

cotija cheese or queso fresco, crumbled