Southern Skillet Fried Corn
Once you taste this buttery, sweet fried corn, you will never want to eat canned corn again. Fresh corn kernels are fried with onions, herbs and spices.
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Ohh, sweet corn. It’s one of the delights of summer! I adore biting into a sweet, juicy eat of corn lathered in butter, salt, pepper and dill. Don’t bother talking to me until I’ve cleaned the entire cob.
However, a few months ago, and old friend from high school shared with me his recipe for skillet corn. This is the same friend who was gracious enough to give me his crawfish etouffee recipe. Since the etouffee was amazing, I knew this fried corn recipe had to equally delicious.
The easiest way to remove corn from the cob
Removing fresh corn from a cob can be a hassle. But I’ve learned a neat trick to make this much easier – a Bundt cake pan! Stand the narrow end of the corn cob in the hole of the tube in the center of the pan. This will keep it steady while you run a knife down the sides of the cob. As you slice, all the corn accumulates in the bottom of the pan.
Can you use canned or frozen corn?
I prefer using fresh corn because of the firm texture. Corn that has been canned or frozen has a soft texture which, in my opinion, can cause the skillet corn to taste gummy.
But I get it, fresh sweet corn is only available for a very short time out of the year. If you’re having a craving for fried corn and there is no fresh sweet corn in sight, I would opt for frozen corn instead of canned. Frozen corn has been cooked for a minimal amount of time before it’s processed compared to canned. It will yield a texture that more closely resembles fresh corn.
How to prepare fried corn
After you’ve removed all the corn from six ears, transfer it to a large mixing bowl. Add one diced yellow onion along with two tablespoons of garlic powder and onion powder and one tablespoon of black pepper.
You can also throw in 1/8 – ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a little heat. I opted to omit this since my kids would be eating it.
Heat ½ cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet it hot, pour in the corn.
Wait until the corn has begun sizzling before you add one tablespoon of salt. Jermaine says adding salt to the corn earlier will draw out all the water to soon. The corn should be bubbling by now. Fry it for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The corn should be heated through and still firm when it’s done. Serve hot.
How to store fried corn
Leftover cooked skillet corn should be placed in a lidded container or zippered plastic bag within two hours. Fried corn will keep for up to four days.
Cooked fried sweet corn can also be frozen. Once the corn has cooled, place it in a freezer safe container with a lid. Likewise, you can spoon it into a plastic zippered freezer bag, squeeze as much air out of the bag as you can, and seal. Place the bag on a level surface in the freezer until frozen. Then you can stack it or store it upright. Frozen corn should be eaten within three months.
What to serve with fried corn:
Southern Skillet Fried Corn
Ingredients
- 6 ears fresh corn on the cob
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons onion powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- A dash of cayenne pepper optional
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Remove the corn kernals from the cobs. Transfer corn to a large mixing bowl.
- Add one diced yellow onion along with garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Add cayenne pepper if using. Stir ingredients until combined.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the skillet it hot, pour in the corn.
- Once the corn has begun sizzling add the salt. Fry corn for 7-8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- The corn should be heated through but still firm when it’s done. Serve hot.
