Kat Thompson is the associate editor of Eater at Home, covering home cooking and baking, cookbooks, and kitchen gadgets. She loves corn slathered in mayonnaise, cotija cheese, Tajín, and lime juice.
It’s hard to think of a corn recipe that beats a freshly grilled corn on the cob, slathered in butter. That is until you consider all the ways corn can be transformed during the summer: tossed with cotija cheese and lime juice in an esquites-style salad, whisked into a fluffy cornbread batter and baked off with sage leaves, and warmed with fresh seafood like scallops and clams. You can even turn corn into milk for a perfect pairing with lattes and matcha. Here are Eater staffer’s favorite recipes for using corn this summer.
Gina Homolka, Skinnytaste
I love a recipe with a worthwhile effort-to-impact ratio, and this one from bloggers Skinnytaste qualifies. Despite only requiring a handful of ingredients (the Boursin does some heavy lifting here), I’ve had multiple people tell me that this basic scallops, corn, and tomato dish tastes restaurant-quality. The ingredients scream summer, and using fresh corn is worth the effort here. If scallops are tough to procure for you (or a little pricey), I’ve found that a sturdy whitefish like halibut (ok, also pricey) or cod can stand in just fine. — Missy Frederick, cities director
J. Kenji López-Alt, Serious Eats
This esquites corn dip is so versatile that it’s become my go-to recipe for every summer party. With crumbles of cojita cheese, diced jalapeño, a generous pour of lime juice, and a sprinkle of chile flakes, this side dish is bursting with flavor. You can use it as a dip for tortilla chips (Tostitos Scoops are ideal), an additional topping at a taco bar, or simply spoon it up on its own. If you don’t feel like shucking, grilling, and removing kernels from a corn cob, then a great hack is to buy a can of fire-roasted corn, which gives you that same charred flavor. You can also totally customize it, adding cherry tomatoes when in season or black beans for some extra protein. The whole shebang takes about 20 minutes and guarantees you’ll have the most colorful dish at the potluck. — Jess Mayhugh, managing editor
Pati Jinich, NYT Cooking
This is my go-to easy grilled vegetable salad in the heat of summer, when I’ve already put thought and planning into a marinated main protein. Prep your dressing while the grill heats up and position a trusty cutting board beside it so you can easily slice up the fresh tomatoes while your asparagus, corn, and green onions get even grill marks. I recommend giving your green onions that high-heat spot for a quick char, with your asparagus in the least hot spot on your grill so they can cook through and your corn in the perfect middle ground. Cut your corn off the cob into a bowl and quickly chop the rest of your vegetables for a thrown together salad with plenty of citrus and salt. It’s the perfect side for grilled fish, juicy steaks, and even tofu kabobs. — Emily Venezsky, editorial associate
Joshua McFadden, Six Seasons
Living in Portland, Oregon, I feel fortunate to have Joshua McFadden’s award-winning cookbook Six Seasons to guide me through the Pacific Northwest’s microseasons. In the Late Summer chapter, corn takes center stage with seven recipes, five of which I’ve made. Each is worth your time, but the dish I look forward to most is the clam toast. The kernels are added at the last step, so they stay crisp and provide a sweet counterpoint to the savory, white wine-soaked tomatoes, briny clams, and thick slices of garlic-rubbed grilled bread. It’s worthy of a dinner party, but don’t wait for an occasion to make it. — Kaitlin Bray, audience director
Greg Atkinson, Bon Appétit
Cornbread is kind of my thing during the holidays but, luckily, summer’s gloriously languid barbecue season calls for it too. Bon Appétit’s 2007 recipe for sage and honey skillet cornbread is one of the best — endlessly customizable and easy enough to not be intimidating. The recipe calls for heating a heavy-bottomed cast-iron skillet in an oven for 10 minutes before melting (or browning, if that’s your preference) butter in the skillet and artfully placing sage leaves into it. You then spoon the cornbread batter over those sage leaves so that when you eventually flip the skillet over after baking and cooling, you get a lovely sage leaf mosaic on the golden-brown top side. There is no downside to bringing this cornbread to any party or barbecue, except for the fact that there won’t be any leftovers. — Nicole Adlman, cities manager
Andrea Nguyen, Viet World Kitchen
Vietnamese corn milk, or sữa bắp, is the only thing I want to drink this summer. It’s easy to prepare: simply simmer the corn kernels and kob in a potion of coconut milk, water, and salt until the corn flavor is infused, then blend and strain. From there, you can sweeten the milk with condensed milk and add flavorings like vanilla or pandan. I love to top my corn milk with fluffy whisked matcha but it would also be wonderful as a base for a sago pudding or frozen into a popsicle. — Kat Thompson, associate editor
