Black history month is here and I am so excited to share one of my favorite recipes with you to kick off the month! As a black woman who loves everything about black culture, black people, and our history (even the painful parts), I consider it a duty and honor to celebrate my culture and keep our stories relevant and heard. Not only am I sharing one my recipes but I’m also introducing you to some amazing black food bloggers who have all teamed up to create one incredibly delicious virtual Black History Month Potluck. My recipe will be one of my all time favorites, South Sweet Fried Corn.
I can’t remember the first time I had fried corn but I know my grandmother made it and it always tasted so GOOD. It tastes like you literally just picked the freshest ears of corn from your own garden, shucked the corn while singing amazing grace, and spent all day in the kitchen preparing this sweet buttery crunchy corn. Fried corn is what you make on Sunday after church with fried chicken, potato salad, and baked macaroni and cheese. It’s so perfect an unlike any other corn recipe. I’s not creamed corn, it’s fried and I have never met anyone who hasn’t loved this recipe.
Traditionally, fried corn is made using its own kernel milk or “corn milk” which is in the lining of the cob. This is where the fried corn develops its sweetness and creamy texture. What makes this Southern Sweet Fried Corn is the bacon grease that is used to fry the corn in. Now for this recipe I’ve chosen to swap out the bacon grease for plant butter but if you prefer bacon grease I don’t blame you! The plant butter works beautifully in this recipe; it adds a great flavor and it’s vegan friendly. As for seasoning, all you need is salt and pepper. I never measure the seasoning so I encourage you to taste the fried corn as it begins to cook to make sure that it is seasoned to your liking.
Please be sure to check out the other amazing flood blogger’s recipes posted below and join in on our virtual Black History Month Potluck.
How to make Vegan Southern Sweet Fried Corn
Step 1
Shuck the corn and remove all the silk. I have used this type of brush and it works pretty well. Once you have all the corn shucked and removed all the silk, rinse the corn in cold water.
Step 2
Grab a large bowl and in this step you are going to cut the corn kernels off the cob. The best and safest way to do this is to stand the corn up in a bowl and using a sharp knife, cut down on the sides of the cob. The kernels will fall straight into the bowl. Do not throw the cob away at this point.
Step 3
The lining of the cob is where the goodness is and this is what makes fried corn so amazing. There is a starchy liquid inside of the cob that I like to call corn milk. The corn milk is what adds to the sweetness of the dish and creates a one of a kind flavor. So, using a spoon scrape every side of the cobs to remove the corn milk (scrape straight into the bowl) and repeat this step on all of the cobs. There should be about 1 cup of the corn milk hiding at the bottom of your bowl.
Step 4
Melt the plant butter (if using bacon grease, heat the grease) in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the butter is melted add the corn into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for 20-25 minutes and stir occasionally. You can season to your liking, however I do not suggest over seasoning.
What to serve with Sweet Southern Fried Corn?
- Fried Chicken
- Ribs
- Any type of seafood
- Butterflied Chicken
- Salad topping
- Hamburgers & Hot dogs
- Crab cakes
- Whatever you want 🙂
Southern Sweet Fried Corn
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: 45 Minute dishes
- Method: Fried/sauteed
- Cuisine: American
Description
Sweet southern fried corn made with plant based & dairy free butter.
Ingredients
- 8 ears of fresh corn
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) plant butter
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Shuck the corn and remove the silk. Rinse with cold water.
- Cut the kernels off the cob and into a large bowl. It’s best to do this while the corn is standing up and run a sharp knife down the side of the cob.
- Use a spoon to scrape the naked cobs and remove the starchy milky liquid, called corn milk straight into the bowl with the corn. Season the corn with salt and pepper and mix everything together.
- Melt the butter in a large skillet on medium high. Once the butter is melted add in the corn and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for
Notes
I do not recommend using canned corn for this recipe.
Keywords: Fried corn, How to make fried corn
Be sure to check out recipes from all of the 2020 Black History Month Virtual Potluck contributors:
Beautiful Eats & Things | Honey Herb Roasted Sweet Potatoes | vegetarian
D.M.R. Fine Foods |Vegetarian Chili | vegetarian
Dash of Jazz |Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits with Spiced Pear Compote | vegan
Dish it with Tisha | Mushroom and Okra Po’ Boy |vegetarian
Domestic Dee |Dirty Rice |vegan
Food Fidelity |Vegan Curry Cauliflower | vegan
Kenneth Temple |Wakanda Cake | vegan
Marisa Moore Nutrition |Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Fritters | vegan
Meiko and the Dish | Cajun Shrooms & Grits | vegetarian
Rosalynn Daniels | Vegan Bread Pudding | vegan
Savory Thoughts | Haitian Black Rice (Diri Djon Djon) | vegan
The Hungry Hutch | Vegetarian Southern-Style Collard Greens | Vegan
Whisk it Real Gud | Vegan Jollof Rice | vegan
A Little Food | Southern Sweet Fried Corn | vegan
AGirlCalledAdri | Pound Cake | vegetarian
Baum Ass Foods | Slow Cooked Black-eyed Peas + Greens | vegan
Collards Are the Old Kale | Red Beans and Tri-Color Quinoa | vegetarian
FoodLoveTog | Black-Eyed Pea Hummus | vegetarian
Her Mise En Place | Rice Pudding | vegetarian
Kalisha Blair | Yeasted Cornmeal Dinner Rolls | vegetarian
Kenya Rae | Sweet potato Biscuits | vegetarian
On Ty’s Plate | Collard Greens Salad with Orange Vinaigrette | vegetarian
Orchids + Sweet Tea | Banana Cake + Cinnamon Browned Butter Buttercream | vegan
Razzle Dazzle Life | Roasted Garlic White Veggie Lasagna | vegetarian
Sweet Tea and Thyme Sweet Potato Casserole with Brown Sugar Topping | vegetarian
Orchids + Sweet Tea | Southerner’s Banana Pudding Cheesecake Bites | vegetarian
Marisa Moore Nutrition | Crispy Roasted Okra with Peanut Sauce | vegan
Fried corn has been a family staple for years!!! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Same here. It’s such a treat and I used to get so excited when I saw it on the table (I still do Lol). I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Both my grandmothers made fried corn; but one added chopped bell pepper and the other a finely chopped hot pepper.
Hi Kathryn! I bet the addition of peppers definitely kicked up the flavor. I’ll have to try that one day, thanks for sharing!
My mother and grandmother always put some chopped tomatoes in their fried corn. I still do to this day.
I’ve heard of people adding tomatoes in fried corn, I bet it’s delicious! Thanks for sharing, Lynn 🙂
It definitely is delicious. You can also cook up some bacon and add it to.
Love this recipe! So delicious!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you love it! It’s one of my favorites 🙂