It’s summer, and celebrating the 4th of July calls for fresh, farm stand side dishes that are so good, you dream about them later in the year. Southern Creamy Fried Corn goes perfectly with barbecue and is perfect for your 4th of July festivities. I’ve also included options to make the dish a little healthier without sacrificing any flavor.
I like to serve this dish with a huge platter of my famous Meat Candy (aka burnt ends), Kansas City Style Barbecue Baked Beans, Southern Potato Salad, Grilled Romaine Salad, Vinegar-based Cole Slaw, and of course, Macaron Peach Cobbler!
In my younger days, creamed corn was the flavorless, mushy, salty, goo that came from a can. No amount of ‘doctoring’ would help this stuff. Canned cream corn definitely solidified my belief that canned vegetables were awful.
Then, as an adult moving to the South, I discovered during a ‘meat and three’ lunch (which for those who don’t know, is a protein and three side dishes) that Southern creamed corn was a culinary marvel! It was sweet and creamy, a flavor bomb in my mouth. I had to add this to my food repertoire fast!
However, several attempts left me with a dish that, while good, lacked the intense corn flavor I remember from my ‘meat and three’ lunch. I tried boiling the corn before removing the kernels, then reducing the cooking liquid and using it in my creamed corn recipe. Major fail.
I tried variations of cream, whole, low-fat-skim milk, canned evaporated milk, none of which brought more corn flavor.
Then I had the ridiculous idea to add just an 1/8 teaspoon of corn flavoring. It was foul! Don’t ever do it. Take my word for it. Let’s just say that it tasted like a synthetic, odd, corn product. Hard no.
So a few years later, my father-in-law and I were cooking at his lake house. He suggested that we hit the farm stand for produce and make creamed corn. I shared with him my past failures and how frustrated I was because I couldn’t get the right flavor. He asked if I used the corn milk. What? I’ve never heard of this. Well, let me say that once he showed me how to ‘milk the corn cob,’ it was a game changer.
Finally, I had that intense corn flavor that my past attempts failed to provide, but the dish also had a depth of flavor and creaminess. To this day, if I have an ear of corn, no matter my plans for the kernels, I’m milking the cob. It adds so much flavor to anything you might use it in…soups, sauces, CORNBREAD!!
It’s pretty simple. Once you cut the kernels from the cob, use the knife to scrape the cob a few times. You will have a thick, very sweet, and starchy, milky white substance – corn milk!
You can use a knife, a vegetable peeler, or an old-fashioned wooden corn cutter. Just be sure to use a large bowl to catch all of the kernels and drops of the precious milk.
Fresh corn doesn’t keep for long periods of time. The longer the corn sits, the less sweet it will be, so plan on using it within a day or two.
Store the corn, unhusked, in the refrigerator to slow down the dehydration and shriveing of the kernels. Leaving the corn in the heat will cause the kernels to be more starchy and less sweet. Everybody loves sweet corn!
Believe it or not, this method is really easy. It does soften the kernels slightly, but does not cook them.
It’s summer, and celebrating the 4th of July calls for fresh, farm stand side dishes that are so good, you dream about them later in the year. Southern Creamy Fried Corn goes perfectly with barbecue and is perfect for your 4th of July festivities.
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 2 tablespoons olive oil)
½ small yellow onion, very finely minced
8–10 fresh ears of corn, enough for 4 cups, including all milk that can be scraped from the ears.
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (Taste the corn first for sweetness. Use more or less to taste. Use sweetener of choice to cut calories.)
1 ½ cups heavy cream or half & half (Use an equal amount of evaporated skim milk or a mixture of both cream and evaporated milk for lower-fat options)
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
In a large, preferably cast-iron, skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the corn, and any accumulated corn ‘milk’ to the skillet. Stir to combine.
Fry the corn, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt, pepper, flour, and sugar over the corn. Stir well.
Cook, stirring often, until the corn is tender, aromatic, and most of the ‘corn milk’ has evaporated and the corn is deepening in color, but not browned, about 15 minutes.
Pour in the cream, half & half, or evaporated milk.
Cook, stirring constantly, to incorporate the milk and flour into the corn and break up any lumps.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced and thickens. This could take 5-8 minutes, depending on how thick you like the sauce.
Remove skillet from the heat.
Garnish the Southern Creamy Fried Corn with chopped parsley and serve hot.