This easy Japanese-style Grilled Corn is a take on Mexican elote with a Japanese-inspired flavor twist. Fresh grilled summer corn is slathered with spicy mayo and topped with cotija, furikake, togarashi, and fresh chopped cilantro.

It’s the perfect fun recipe mashup between Mexican elote and all your favorite Japanese flavors and ingredients. This is a side dish recipe that’s perfect for any summer BBQ!

Japanese-Style Grilled Corn

I’m coming in hot with another side dish recipe as part of my Summer Sides Series with this easy Japanese-style grilled corn recipe.

I love a fusion recipe and we’re creating a mashup of Mexican elote with some of my favorite Japanese flavors and ingredients.

Typically, elote is grilled corn smothered in mayo, chile powder, and lime zest topped with cotija and cilantro. This Japanese-style corn is instead covered in a spicy gingery mayo with togarashi and furikake plus cotija, cilantro, and green onion.

The flavors here are just out of this world delicious! If you’re looking for a fun take on grilled corn on the cob, this Japanese-style grilled corn is for you!

For more easy summer side dish recipes check out all my side dish recipes.

What are Togarashi and Furikake?

Togarashi and Furikake are Japanese seasonings. Togarashi contains seven ingredients, including chili powder, and is used like a spicy table salt seasoning. It’s a super flavorful seasoning that I love using in recipes like my Hawaiian-style Mac Salad recipe.

Furikake is a condiment that’s often used to season rice. It contains bits of dried seaweed, sesame seeds, salt, sugar, and usually some kind of smoked dried fish like bonito. You can also find furikake with dried wasabi bits in it for a bit of spice.

You can find both of these seasoning blends at most well-stocked grocery stores in the Asian ingredients aisle. Otherwise, I recommend taking a trip to your local Asian market!

How to Make Japanese-Style Grilled Corn

You can make Japanese-style grilled corn on an outdoor grill or inside on a grill pan when it’s too hot out to grill. Both methods give you flavorful and delicious corn on the cob!

Tools Needed

• Grill or Grill Pan
• Cutting Board
• Mixing Bowl
• Cutting Board

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Fresh corn. You can use white or yellow but peak of season fresh corn is always best.
• Spicy mayo. I make a homemade spicy mayo with kewpie, sriracha, soy, sesame, and ginger. You could also use store bought spicy or sriracha mayo.
• Furikake. Furikake is a Japanese seasoning blend that can be found at most well-stocked grocery stores, local Asian markets, or on Amazon.
• Togarashi. Togarashi is a Japanese spice and condiment used almost as a spicy table salt. You can find it at well-stocked grocery stores, local asian markets, or on Amazon.
• Cotija. This is an optional ingredient, but the salty flavor that the cotija adds is so good!
• Herbs. I like to finish off this Japanese grilled corn with some chopped fresh cilantro and green onion.
• Lime. Always serve with a couple of lime wedges on the side for that fresh, zippy bit of citrus!

The Process

1. Shuck and clean the corn. Remove the husk and any silky threads from the corn and rinse them well. Pat dry.
2. Mix the spicy mayo. Whisk all the spicy mayo ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Prep the grill. Before using your grill, make sure to clean the grates of any food and debris. Lightly grease the grates with nonstick spray. Preheat an outdoor to medium heat. Close the lid and wait until the temperature reaches 400 F.
4. Grill the corn. Brush the corn lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the corn on the grill and cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning the corn every few minutes until it’s lightly charred and bright yellow. Remove from the grill and cool slightly.
5. Season the corn. Brush the corn liberally with the spicy mayo and sprinkle with the cotija, togarashi, and furikake as desired. Top with the chopped cilantro and green onion. Serve the Japanese-style grilled corn with lime wedges on the size for squeezing.

Grilling Corn: Husks on vs Husks Off

There are two methods to making this Japanese-style grilled corn: you can grill the corn with the husks on or off. So which is the best method? You can grill corn either way but there are flavor differences.

Grilling corn with the husks on: In this method, you can place the corn directly on the grill in the husk without soaking them. The corn steams and stays plump with a lightly smoky flavor. However, the draw back is it’s kind of messy to shuck the blackened husk and silky threads off the cooked corn.

Grilling corn without the husk: This is the method I usually go for because it’s simple with less mess, but you can over cook the corn so make sure to keep an eye on it so that it doesn’t dry out.

Either way, you’ll end up with delicious grilled corn on the cob!

What to Serve with Japanese-style Grilled Corn

Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with Japanese-style grilled corn on the cob:

• Steakhouse Burgers
• Grilled Tri-Tip
• Beer Can Chicken
• Grilled Chicken Wings
• Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
• Banh Mi Hot Dogs

---

If you’re looking for a fresh and flavorful way to serve up grilled corn, this Japanese-style grilled corn is a winner! It’s the perfect easy side dish for any bbq or gathering. If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram. I LOVE hearing about & seeing your SMF creations!

More Summer Side Dish Recipes to Try

Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad
Borracho Beans
Creamy Pesto Pasta Salad
Hawaiian-Style Mac Salad
Mom’s Classic Potato Salad
Butter Boiled Corn On the Cob

This post may contain affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.