Fried Corn – A Southern Treat!
Fried Corn – A Southern Treat!
Sweet and buttery, Southern Fried Corn is a delicious dish for breakfast or a side dish with good Southern gravy!
I grew up with gardens.. My dad had four gardens! Our entire back yard was one big planting of corn, tomatoes, beans. We had an elderly neighbor who no longer could care for her beautiful yard, so in exchange for keeping her grass cut and bushes trimmed, Dad could plant the back yard in squashes and cucumbers. And then my Grandma’s small field was transformed into an okra and corn field every summer! Needless to say, fresh vegetables was part of life growing up in a large family. Mom found lots of creative ways to cook them. Some stand out more than others.
My absolute favorite dish growing up was fried corn! My mother had a huge skillet that she would fill with kernels, and that delectable smell of carmelizing corn sugar was amazing. I learned to make this dish very early, helping in the kitchen. Over the years, I’ve expanded on it and added a few ingredients that I like, but its as simple as you want it to be. Try it, and you just might have a new favorite from your corn patch!
You can make this recipe for one or for twenty! Easy directions follow.
Southern Fried Corn
2 slices bacon per serving, diced
1-2 ears of shucked and cleaned corn per serving
1-2 fresh hot peppers; tabasco, hot banana, cayenne, whatever you like. (If you don’t like heat, just use half a pepper or a sprinkle of black pepper). Half a chopped bell pepper is great too
2 fresh spring onion bulbs per serving ( half a chopped yellow onion will do too)
Green sprigs from the onion, or fresh chives
1 garlic scape per serving (2-3 cloves minced garlic is great if scapes are not in season)
½ teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon salt or salt and pepper to taste
Options: Add yellow or red pepper, diced zucchini, herbs like oregano, cumin or basil
Heat a cast iron skillet and add diced bacon to brown. Reserve a couple tablespoons of the drippings per serving, drain the rest (save that for gravy next time!). Add the chopped hot pepper if you are using it. Be sure to stir and turn the bacon to keep it from burning.
While the bacon is frying, carefully cut the fresh corn from the cob. You can scrape the cob if you’d like, but I prefer to use that wonderful cob juice in a pot of broth!
Recipe for chicken corn cob broth here. Add corn and stir to coat with the drippings. Add onion and any other vegetables you like. Let this mixture saute for a few minutes until the corn begins to carmelize and the kernels become tender. Sprinkle in salt and ground mustard and any other herbs you are using. You can finish off the carmelizing with a pat of butter melted in, and let the corn saute a minute more. Add a sprinkle of black pepper across the top for garnish.
I like to serve this dish at the table in the cast iron skillet! So pretty that way. It’s a
great as a main entree for breakfast, or a side dish for family gatherings with egg casseroles or French toast, or good Southern milk gravy and biscuits!
Hope you enjoy!
Suzanne
