Enjoy the Summer With Mexican Street Corn
Welcome back to Sunday Sus maintenance! I don’t know about you dear reader, but I’m still recovering after eating roughly five grates of ribs topped with delicious blueberry barbecue sauce after last week. But you can’t just spend the summer eating meat, so this week I’m focusing on one of the most famous summer vegetables: the ubiquitous, deliciously sweet corn on the cob.
Yes, I know corn is technically a grain, but sweet corn, which you find all over the place for a nickel on your ear this time of year, is usually cooked and eaten as a vegetable due to its high sugar / low starch content and ‘vegetable “Is not a scientific term anyway.
If you have been alive for any length of time, then you ate sweet corn on the cob. It can be found as pure yellow or white kernels, or a mixture of both, usually in front of people fighting each other for husks in the grocery store at 8:00 am on Sunday morning. This is often viewed as a disposable side — you can get a 4-inch ear as a side, or a bunch of shredded kernels dropped into a bowl of “butter”. I boo these establishments and tell you that corn can be amazing and delicious and also a great flavoring agent. Sadly, this teeth-stuck goodness only lasts a few weeks before it starts to fade and prices skyrocket again into the stratosphere. But we don’t just cook today, no! We will preserve too. Actually, that’s where I’ll start. The corn is fast approaching its generous top and we need to fix that.
Freezing corn
- The freshest corn you can buy, in the amount you think you will be using in the next 12 months.
- Pan
- Sharp knife (or my favorite, electric knife)
- A saucepan large enough to hold 4-6 ears of corn at a time, filled with boiling water.
- The same large saucepan filled with ice water
- Zip or vacuum sealed bags
- Permanent marker for marking corn bags
On buying corn: the difference between good and bad corn is huge, and if you can get your hands on good food, it’s worth it. Fresh corn will have rich, soft green husks and plump kernels that are easy to puncture with your fingernail (don’t ask your recent manicure friend to check this). Corn that is not quite fresh will have brown ends and dry husks and loose, discolored kernels.
For maximum freshness, buy your corn the day you cook it. While grocery stores sell ears for almost nothing in my woods, I highly recommend looking up and visiting the farm’s counter.
The best way to preserve corn is to blanch, and that’s exactly what we do. Start by peeling and removing silk from each ear, but leave a long stem. Once the water boils, drip some ears in, cover the pot and simmer for about 5 minutes. After the time has elapsed, move the ears into an ice bath for five minutes to cool. Repeat until you run out of corn.
Blot the corn with a paper towel and use this time to decide if you are going to store it whole or separately? You can put whole ears in the bag, just make sure you squeeze out every last drop before freezing. If you want kernels …
Place the stem in the center of the tuft mold and carefully, gently, carefully slice the kernels. I like the boning knife here for more control, but if you have one, an electric knife will do just fine. Any blade is still risky, but the process is much faster and more stable.
The bagging pan will collect your kernels, which you can bag and freeze. This method, like the entire cob method, can be stored for up to twelve months. Or you can grab a few things that you probably have in your culinary arsenal and cook the most delicious last form of corn imaginable: Esquites.
Essentially the non-standard version of elotes , esquites is dangerous. You see, you need to stop with a cob at some point. The ear is over. With esquites, you drop 5 ears of grains into a bowl, cover them with a sauce that will make every deity cry with joy, and then don’t eat the whole thing because you have removed desire from your heart. Also, you have to share.
Esquites – Mexican Street Corn Salad
- 2 tablespoons neutral vegetable oil
- Kernels from 4-5 ears of corn – about 3 cups. (If you absolutely must use pre-packaged frozen food, that’s okay)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons Mexican or Salvadoran sour cream
- 2 ounces cotia cheese or ricotta salad, chopped as small as possible
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about ½ lime)
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, minced
- Salt to taste
Cotia cheese is not always easy to find, luckily there are ricotta salad in most of the big shops these days. Some publications say feta is an acceptable substitute, but I find it too sour for this application. The ricotta salad is a little nutty, but not the same as feta.
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium to high heat. Add corn and a pinch of salt and let sit for two to three minutes. You want the corn to char. Stir, stir and repeat until charred all over, about eight to ten minutes total. Pan materials and burner sizes vary, so use common sense here. When done, transfer the corn to a large bowl. Combine remaining ingredients with corn, stir and serve immediately. I mean, look at this, do you really think you can leave this alone? I could not. I didn’t. It was ugly.
What’s nice is the amount of options you have year round with your summer corn supply. Corn bread? Certainly. Plus pancakes, off-season crayfish jam, winter soups and stews, delicious February salsa with sweet punch, or even ice cream . This week I can make a custard corn pie and not tell anyone about it.