Buzz
Maybe you thought you’d make it through the summer without hearing me rave about corn again, but you were wrong, my friend. After steaming, grilling, and munching on raw kernels, I’ve developed a mild obsession with pickled corn.
Pickling corn has quickly become one of my favorite things for many reasons. It’s inexpensive and simple—two things that align perfectly with my style. It’s also a fantastic way to use up any extra corn that may have ended up in your kitchen, especially as fresh corn can lose its freshness within a few days. (You can even pickle leftover grilled corn for that extra smoky flavor.) The real draw, though, is that pickled corn achieves a perfect balance of heat, sweetness, tanginess, and saltiness, making it incredible on virtually anything.
Here’s how you can pickle it (with these essentials):
A corn stripper, for effortless kernel extraction
Jars, for preserving your corn creations
A canning funnel, ensuring no kernels escape during the process
I’ve added it to salads, ramen bowls, quesadillas, and heaps of fried rice. I’ve scooped it up with Doritos. I’ve blended it into cheese dips. I’ve even eaten it straight off the spoon. I modified this recipe from Food52, leaving out the bay leaf and tossing in a few cloves of crushed garlic. I also upped the salt a bit, as the sweetness was a tad overpowering.
Pickled Summer Corn
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 jalapeño, serrano, or any pepper of your choice, halved
Other aromatics of your choice—bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, and ginger are all excellent additions
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
Place your corn, pepper, and aromatics into a jar or soup container and set it aside. In a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients and heat until it starts to boil, stirring until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Once boiling, pour the mixture over the corn and let it sit until it’s cool to the touch. Transfer to the fridge to chill overnight, and enjoy it the next morning. (If granola isn’t your thing, I think it would be amazing on eggs, especially with fried leek greens.)
