During the summer, we always find ourselves reaching for the rainbow of produce coming out of our garden and local farms to make salads. Over the years, I’ve devised a few ways to make salads feel extra special and a bit festive. This fried corn recipe is one of them!
I like to call this “hot corn for cold salads.” But it’s not a corn salad. Rather it’s an add-in for any salad that makes it absolutely delicious. When you throw a handful of this warm corn from the skillet into your salad of choice, I promise you that salad will get gobbled up in no time!
You can also serve it as a delicious side dish on its own. I make it all summer long, and everyone I’ve made it for raves about it.
A 5-Ingredient Corn Recipe
All you need is five ingredients! The corn, butter, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Plus some water!
You cut the kernels off the corn cobs, toss it into a pan with a pat of butter, and season with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
The trick of this recipe comes from my Chinese mother’s insistence that steamed corn is king. I throw some water into the pan to let the corn steam and keep the corn moist in the pan. The water not only cooks the corn quickly, it also helps release its starches.
When the water evaporates from the pan, you’re left with caramelized, buttery starchy bits (kind of like the lacy bits from pan frying dumplings or gyoza).
It’s a little slice of summery heaven! So much so that when sweet bicolor corn starts hitting the market, I make it a point to buy a bunch, cut the kernels off the cob and freeze bags of corn so I can make pan fried corn all year round!
My Go-to Corn Recipe
I’ve been making this pan fried corn for a few summers now. In truth, I have no patience or foresight for grilled corn. You have to soak the corn in water to avoid the leaves burning too quickly on the grill, and then it seems to take forever to cook. I need corn ASAP! We love steamed corn around here too, but sometimes I want that buttery hit of flavor.
This fried corn recipe solves all of those issues for me. I contemplated calling it “crack” corn, because it’s truly addictive, and you find yourself chasing down those little kernels whenever you toss them into a salad!
Can I Make This Ahead? (+ More ideas for how to use it)
I cook this fried corn at the start of the week and throw a handful into salads as I make them. It turns any salad into a delightful “warm salad” and in general makes you feel like you’re having a full meal, not a rabbit’s lunch.
In particular, it goes great with creamy dressings—think feta-based, ranch, tahini-based dressings, etc. You can also increase the recipe and serve this as a standalone side dish! It reheats well in the microwave too!
How to Cut Corn Off the Cob
There are all sorts of tricks for cutting corn off the cob. The one that I can’t seem to shake from my brain is the bundt pan trick—holding an ear of corn vertically in the center of a bundt pan and then cutting the kernels off so they tumble peacefully (allegedly) into the bundt pan.
This seems, at best, like a way to accidentally slice my hand open, so I prefer to cut the ears of corn in half, creating a more stable piece. Then I cut the kernels off so they don’t have as far to fall and scatter less on the cutting board.
Fried Corn Recipe Instructions
You can start with fresh corn or frozen corn. If you’re starting with full ears of corn, here’s my method for easily cutting corn off the cob: shuck the corn, removing all the husks and silk strands. Snap off the green “stem” at the bottom too.
Cut each ear of corn in half crosswise. This makes it such that the kernels don’t have as far to fall and won’t scatter all over your countertop and onto the floor.
With the corn positioned vertically on a flat side, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob, slicing down and around the cob until you’ve removed all the kernels. Get as close to the cob as you can without actually cutting into it. You want individual kernels, not corn “ribs.” Discard the cobs (we give them to our chickens to pick clean!) and set aside the kernels.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter, let it melt partially, and add the corn. Stir to coat the corn in the butter, then season with the smoked paprika, pepper, and salt.
Let the corn fry in the butter for 3 minutes.
Add the water and let the corn steam in the water, uncovered, for 1-2 minutes. When the water has cooked off, let the corn brown for another 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat until it gets some nice color on it. The starch from the corn should form some caramelized bits. Make sure to scrape all that up when you transfer it to a bowl! You don’t want to leave any of it behind.
Let it cool slightly so it doesn’t cook your salad greens. Enjoy on its own, or add to salads warm or cold! We love it warm.
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Recipe
Fried Corn
Ingredients
- 3½ cups corn kernels (from 4 medium ears of corn)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste; I often just use 2 small pinches of coarse flaky salt)
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- You can start with fresh or frozen corn. If using whole ears of corn, here’s my method for easily cutting corn off the cob: shuck the corn, removing all the husks and silk strands. Snap off the green “stem” at the bottom too.
- Cut each ear in half crosswise. This makes it such that the kernels don’t have as far to fall and won’t scatter all over your countertop and onto the floor. With the corn positioned vertically on a flat side, use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off the cob, slicing down and around the cob until you’ve removed all the kernels. Get as close to the cob as you can without actually cutting into it. You want individual kernels, not corn “ribs.” Set aside the kernels.
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the butter, let it melt partially, and add the corn. Stir to coat the corn in the butter, then season with the smoked paprika, pepper, and salt. Let the corn fry in the butter for 3 minutes.
- Add the water, and let the corn steam in the water for 1-2 minutes. When the water has cooked off, let the corn brown for another 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat until it gets some nice color on it. The starch from the corn should form some caramelized bits. Make sure to scrape all that up when you transfer it to a bowl! You don’t want to leave any of it behind.
