A bright tasting corn succotash without the beans
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large tomato diced
- 6 corn on the cob leftovers ok (substitute canned kernel corn if necessary)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste (i use a little bit more)
- 6 cloves fresh garlic peeled, minced
- 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander (i add unground seeds to my pepper mill)
- 3 pepperoncini diced small
- Carbohydrate 36.9400374999207 g
- Cholesterol 15.265 mg
- Fat 7.78090999999273 g
- Fiber 5.48767508719769 g
- Protein 6.61328499996663 g
- Saturated Fat 3.95732174999983 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (249g)
- Sodium 466.060249999679 mg
- Sugar 31.452362412723 g
- Trans Fat 0.603839249996798 g
- Calories 217 calories
Step-by-step
- Cut corn from cobs (boiled for 8 minutes in water, and 1cup milk).
- Heat butter in large sauce pan, medium heat. (If preparing with Chicken Kalbi, cook in same pan with remaining pan drippings).
- Add garlic and pepperoncini to pan, turning up heat to medium high, sauté just short of caramelizing (it will finish in subsequent steps), approximately 3 minutes.
- Add corn to pan, reducing heat a bit, breaking up clumps with spatula as required. Sprinkle with pepper, salt, and coriander to taste, stirring frequently. Sauté for about 4 minutes scraping the pan to return caramelized portions to the mixture.
- Add the diced tomato (about 1/4") and toss till just heated (avoid overheating so tomato remains mostly intact and fairly firm to maintain bright flavor).
- Plate on warmed plates as a side (complements my Chicken Kalbi well), with an artful sprinkle of the balsamic vinegar to finish.
Beyond the Cobs
The ingredient list hides the physical reality of handling six ears of fresh summer corn. Cutting raw kernels from cobs yields far more starch and moisture than opening a standard can. Boiling those cobs first in a milk-water mixture gelatinizes surface starches. This process concentrates natural sweetness before the kernels ever touch a hot pan. Scraping the cob with the back of a knife extracts the milky pulp. That pulp acts as a natural thickener when combined with melted butter.
Scaling Yields
Multiplying this formulation requires managing pan surface area strictly. Doubling the batch to eight servings demands a twelve-inch cast-iron skillet instead of a standard saucepan. Crowded kernels steam instead of sautéing. Steam prevents the vital Maillard reaction from occurring on the exterior of the sweet corn. Maintain medium-high heat and work in distinct batches if cookware capacity is limited. Each batch needs uninterrupted contact with the hot metal for precisely four minutes to develop proper color.
Flavor Mechanics
Capsaicin from the diced pepperoncini dissolves readily in butter fat. This distribution prevents localized heat spikes in the finished dish. Meanwhile, raw garlic releases allicin upon mincing. Sautéing that garlic for three minutes mellows pungent organosulfur compounds into savory notes without burning them. Tomatoes introduce glutamates that amplify the natural sugars in the corn. Adding them at the very end preserves cellular integrity and keeps the final profile bright.
