Fried Corn is a delicious Southern side dish, and this version is much healthier with only a touch of butter and bacon for flavor.
There's nothing like good corn on the cob.
Slather it in butter and sprinkle it with salt and you've got pure gold {or light gold}.
There are few things as tasty as good corn on the cob, and I'm particularly nostalgic about corn on the cob because it reminds me of my grandfather. I can still picture him now eating his corn on the cob, cracking jokes left & right as bits of corn are stuck to his face. No one cared, though, that Paw Paw had corn stuck to his face; we were all too busy laughing at the story he was telling, even if it was the 20th time you'd heard it.
Since it's summertime, I decided I wanted to do a post on corn. Unfortunately, I couldn't find Silver Queen corn and I know it's good but plain corn on the cob isn't the most exciting recipe to post. So I made some Fried Corn.
Over 4th of July weekend, as my cousins & I were playing dominoes, we started discussing the meals that my grandmother {on the other side of the fam} used to make. My cousin started talking about my grandmother's fried corn: in a cast iron skillet you cook the bacon then sauté the fresh corn kernels in bacon grease & butter, then add a good amount of black pepper and top with bacon.
I took mental notes and decided to make it myself. Worried that I might have missed some important details since I was busy enjoying my Mojito Limeades, I decided to search for a fried corn recipe and found Paula Deen's recipe for Fried Cream Corn to use as my inspiration.
Since this is my version and much healthier, I kept the bacon in there of course and still used some butter, just not half a stick.
To start, you fry the bacon. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain and wipe out all but one teaspoon of bacon grease.
Meanwhile, you'll want to cut the corn kernels off the cob. Do this slowly and on a big cutting board so the kernels don't fly all over the kitchen. Once all the kernels are off the cob, I go back and scrape the cob with the back of the knife to get some of the milk out of the cob. This'll help make your fried corn creamier {without the addition of cream or more butter}.
Then you'll just fry the corn kernels in a little bacon grease plus some butter {1 teaspoon instead of 1/2 stick}. After the corn has been "fried" you season it liberally with pepper and a little salt, sprinkle with the cooked bacon and a green onion if desired. The pepper {and the bacon!} is the most important seasoning. You don't want to skimp on the pepper. I'm not a huge black pepper fan - I mean, I could totally skip pepper most times - but it's an integral part of Fried Corn. Don't forget it!
Be sure to serve this with some healthier choices like grilled lean {chicken, flank steak, seafood} & veggies and/or a salad.
Enjoy!
Fried Corn
Ingredients
- 2 slices center-cut bacon
- 4 ears corn
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 TBSP water
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 green onion chopped {optional}
Instructions
- Cook the bacon over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet. Drain bacon on paper towels and set aside.
- Meanwhile, chop the kernels off the cob {I like to do this slow and on a big cutting board, so the kernels don't fly all over the kitchen. To add extra creaminess to your Fried Corn, use the back of the knife and scrape the cob to get any extra juice out of the cob}.
- Wipe all but one teaspoon of bacon grease out of the skillet. Add the butter and heat over medium-high heat. Add the corn kernels, and sauté corn for about 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add water. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with pepper & salt. Sprinkle with reserved bacon and green onions, if using. Enjoy!
Notes
What to use in this recipe:
Meme
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