By this time of the summer, I’ve had my fill of corn on the cob. But not sweet corn itself, curiously.
Corn in September for me involves plenty of corn off the cob. Dishes, like my spiced corn chowder recipe from the Oregonian, this pasta with corn from Food52–and this fresh summer succotash.
Why “fresh”?
Fresh not stewed Succotash
The quintessential American dish, succotash originates from New England where I was raised. It was a winter dish made from field corn, according to The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.
This version is not a stew like the original, but a side dish using summertime vegetables at their prime served raw.
It also skips the shell beans in favor of fresh green beans when I have them. So, the only cooking involved is steaming the corn. Use any leftover corn from your weekend gatherings if you have it.
Cutting Corn Off the Cob
Removing the kernels from the cob is simple so long as you have a large bowl and a sharp knife. Stand the corn cob upright holding the top stem end in the center of the bowl. Slice the blade of your knife down the cob toward the bottom of the bowl and the kernels will fly off. Rotate the cob and repeat until all the kernels are sliced off. Repeat with all of the corn on the cob.
But there’s more!
Take a large tablespoon in one hand and hold the cut cob the in other over the bowl of kernels. Use the side of the spoon to scrape the corn cob away from you to release all of the corn left inside the kernels. It looks a little bit like porridge. Repeat with all of the corn cobs.
Fresh and Versatile Succotash
The key to this dish (other than freshness) is the texture, so take your time to dice all of the vegetables very evenly, slightly larger than the corn kernels. Use this recipe as a guide to incorporate any fresh vegetable that your farmers market or garden offers up.
I like to make it advance and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour so that the all of the flavors have a chance to meld together with the lime juice and salt.
This recipe makes a party-sized platter of fresh vegetables. If you need even more, just up the amount of zucchini {we know you have it!}.
Serve with grilled burgers or steak, grilled chicken or grilled salmon. For the most beautiful presentation, make a bed of this succotash and serve the portioned or sliced grilled meats on top. {This way, you also encourage everyone to eat less meat and more veggies.}
Or, take a page from the Native American version and add bits of leftover cooked meat or fish.
Enjoy all of summer’s produce while it lasts!
Fresh Summer Succotash
This recipe is party-sized, so add or reduce the proportions of vegetable according to your needs and adjust the lime juice and salt to taste. Serve with grilled steak, grilled chicken or salmon for a weekend cookout, or on its own for a picnic.
- 5-6 ears sweet corn, shucked (or leftover steamed corn)
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 large beefsteak tomato
- 1 medium zucchini or summer squash, diced
- 1 medium cucumber, diced
- 4 ounces fresh green beans, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced (optional)
- 1 bunch cilantro or parsley, stemmed and roughly chopped
- 1 cup lightly packed basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
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Steam the corn until it turns bright yellow and is tender, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
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When cool enough to handle cut the corn off the cob and collect it into a large mixing bowl. Use a tablespoon to scrape the cobs to remove all the corn kernels into the bowl.
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Combine the onion, pepper, tomato, zucchini, cucumber, green beans, avocado and herbs in a bowl. Toss with the lime juice and salt and taste for seasoning. Let stand at room temperature until ready to serve.
The post Steamed and Scraped Sweet Corn for Fresh Summer Succotash appeared first on Lynne Curry.