Hi folks!  Sorry I’ve been out of pocket here lately!  We took a much needed vacation between Heather’s semesters in conjunction with our seafood tour.  Sorry I didn’t let y’all know.  I just hate to announce, “Hey robbers and thieves, I’m on vacation so please come to my house and rob me blind,” on Facebook or the internet.  I really appreciate all the sweet comments and emails wondering what had happened to me.  I feel loved.  ~grins~

After a week at the beach, I’m refreshed and relaxed and ready to get back to sharing some awesome recipes with y’all.  One of my most favorite parts about visiting the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area is this awesome farmers market on the way home, Burris Farmers Market.  On this trip we came home with green tomatoes, new potatoes, okra, Silver Queen corn, and cucumbers just to name a few.  Over the next few weeks, you see lots of recipes using these fresh veggies.

First up is fried corn.  Now, for those of you not familiar with Southern fried corn, it’s not a big ol’ ear of corn deep fried.  I guess you’d liken it to creamed corn.  But I don’t think they’re much alike; that’s just the only thing I know to compare it to.  Fried corn is one of my absolute favorite vegetable sides and I look forward to early summer and the first crops of corn each year so I can have some.  I could literally hurt myself eating fried corn. The trick with fried corn is the prep.  You can’t just cut it off the cob and throw it in a skillet.  There’s a little more involved, but I promise it’s not too hard.  I’ve even added a quick little video illustrating my “corn scraping” technique to help you along.

So the other day, I had shucked and cleaned my corn and gotten rid of all the silks when my wife walked into the kitchen.  Feeling impressed with my feat (which shucking and cleaning corn is quite a  feat) I remarked, “That’s a pretty good looking mess of corn there, huh?”  She looked at me with amazement and explained that she had never heard me use the term “mess” of anything.  Being a true Southerner, she had heard it before, but apparently never out of my mouth.  I’m sure I’ve said it before.  I’m guessing it was just a case of selective hearing if you know what I mean.  Anyway, so she asks, “How much exactly is a ‘mess’?”  Stumped, I thought about it and said, “Well, I guess a mess is just about enough to have for dinner.”  How much is “a mess” to you?

 

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 ears of fresh corn, I prefer the Silver Queen variety
  • 2 tablespoons of bacon grease (not necessary but sure makes a big difference)
  • 4 tablespoons of butter, divided (or 6 if you’re not using bacon grease)
  • salt & pepper

Directions

    1. With your corn shucked and cleaned, place it standing up in a large bowl or pan in your sink.  (Cutting corn off the cob is quite a task and a messy one at that.  I think it’s best to do it in the sink.  You’ll thank me later when it’s time to clean up.)  Run a sharp knife down the cob cutting the kernels about halfway off leaving the other half attached.  We’re going to address that other half in a minute.
    2. Next, we’re going to scrape all the starch and “goody” out of the remaining kernels.  This is what gives fried corn it’s unique texture and flavor.  Simply turn your knife perpendicular to the cob and scrape down the sides.

    3. Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron – I always use my great-grandmother’s – it’s one of my most prized possessions – it’s second to be grabbed in case of a fire after my kid) over medium heat and add bacon grease and two tablespoons of butter (or 4 tablespoons of butter if you’re not using the bacon grease – but you should use the bacon grease).  Once melted, add corn.  Salt and pepper to taste.
    4. Stir frequently cooking for 20 to 30 minutes.  Immediately before removing from heat, add remaining butter and stir until melted.

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Southern Fried Corn

Rating: 51

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Southern Fried Corn

Ingredients

  • 8 to 10 ears of fresh corn, I prefer the Silver Queen variety
  • 2 tablespoons of bacon grease (not necessary but sure makes a big difference)
  • 4 tablespoons of butter, divided (or 6 if you’re not using bacon grease)
  • salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. With your corn shucked and cleaned, place it standing up in a large bowl or pan in your sink. (Cutting corn off the cob is quite a task and a messy one at that. I think it’s best to do it in the sink. You’ll thank me later when it’s time to clean up.) Run a sharp knife down the cob cutting the kernels about halfway off leaving the other half attached. We’re going to address that other half in a minute.
  2. Next, we’re going to scrape all the starch and “goody” out of the remaining kernels. This is what gives fried corn it’s unique texture and flavor. Simply turn your knife perpendicular to the cob and scrape down the sides.
  3. Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron – I always use my great-grandmother’s – it’s one of my most prized possessions – it’s second to be grabbed in case of a fire after my kid) over medium heat and add bacon grease and two tablespoons of butter (or 4 tablespoons of butter if you’re not using the bacon grease – but you should use the bacon grease). Once melted, add corn. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Stir frequently cooking for 20 to 30 minutes. Immediately before removing from heat, add remaining butter and stir until melted.

http://southernbite.com/2011/05/24/southern-fried-corn/