28 corn recipes and flavor pairings

A celebration of corn

Corn arrives at the market with dirt still clinging to its husks and the faint sweetness of summer caught between its kernels. Peel back the green wrapping and you’ll find neat rows of pale gold, each kernel a sun-warmed promise.

Corn requires very little by way of preparation. Whether it’s placed on the rack of a fiery barbecue or in a pot of salted water, the addition of a knob of butter, ensures that the first bite will provide that unmistakable taste of long afternoons and sun-warmed fields, of sweetness drawn up slowly from the soil.

Corn is also remarkably receptive. It absorbs spice, smoke, cream, and char with equal grace, the flavor wonderfully deepened rather than overwhelmed. Dressed in chili and lime, it crackles with brightness; folded into custard, it becomes hushed and enigmatic. However it’s treated, corn remains attuned to its surroundings—more accompanist than soloist, yet always unmistakably itself.

In today’s newsletter: 28 corn recipes and flavor pairings, from the comforting to the curious. Some recipe suggestions lean towards nostalgia — corn chowder, soft scrambled eggs, an upside-down peach cornbread. Others veer into more unexpected territory: corn tangled with anchovies and pasta, or spun into ice cream. These suggestions are arranged as creative ideas for meals and flavor pairings for when you’ve got ears to spare and a healthy appetite.

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Breakfast

Corn & Basil Soft Scramble - Fresh kernels stirred into soft, slow-cooked eggs—just before they set. Off the heat, add a spoon of crème fraîche along with torn basil and flaky salt. Serve with a hunk of something seeded and well-toasted.

Peach & Cinnamon Sugar Upside-Down Cake- Yes, cake for breakfast! Loosely inspired by cornbread, but softer and richer - more dessert than side dish. A tender cornmeal batter is poured over a layer of sliced peaches and cinnamon sugar, which caramelize into a sticky, golden base. Baked in a cast iron skillet or cake tin this is best eaten warm. Cut into thick wedges and serve with a spoonful of yogurt or a splash of cold cream.

Cornmeal Waffles with Jam & Yogurt - Golden, crisp-edged waffles made with a touch of cornmeal for extra texture and gentle sweetness. Serve warm with thick Greek yogurt, a spoonful of blueberry jam (or whatever’s in the fridge), and a few flakes of salt to sharpen the edges. Syrup is optional; coffee isn’t.

Lunch

Peach, Corn & Fennel Salad - Toss thoroughly washed raw corn sliced off the cob with fennel ribbons, juicy peach wedges, extra virgin olive oil and flaky sea salt. Sharpen by adding lime and a scattering of mint, especially if it’s warm out. Excellent alongside grilled chicken—or eaten with your fingers, straight from the bowl.

Shrimp, Corn & Tomato Vodka Pasta - A lush, late-summer pasta built on homemade tomato paste simply prepared using ripe tomatoes olive oil and salt. Nothing metallic, just deep, concentrated sweetness. For extra protein, shrimp are rubbed with chili, smoked paprika, and a hint of brown sugar, then seared hard for char. Toss through pasta with sweet corn, burst cherry tomatoes, and a splash of vodka.

Corn Miso Soup - Sauté shallot, add corn and a spoonful of miso. Cover with water or chicken broth, simmer, then blend. Serve hot with scallions, chili crunch and sesame oil. Silky and savory.

Dinner

Grilled Corn with Anchovy Butter - Charred whole cobs slathered in anchovy butter created by mashing anchovies into soft butter together with lemon zest and chili. Finish with Parmesan, chives, and messy fingers. A napkin meal, ideally outdoors. Pairs wonderfully with steak or grilled fish.

Brown Butter Corn Risotto - A current favorite summer supper. Cook risotto with a corn stock and brown butter for sweetness and depth. Stir in kernels just before the end, then finish with lemon zest, and more cheese than you might initially think necessary. Full recipe below!

Charred Corn, Zucchini & Goat’s Cheese Tart - Flaky pastry layered with a lemony goat’s cheese base, topped with ribbons of zucchini and charred corn kernels. Add a drizzle of olive oil, a scattering of thyme, and a crack of black pepper before baking. If you don’t fancy making pastry, use good store-bought puff or a few sheets of filo, brushed with butter. Serve warm with a sharply dressed green salad, or cold, cut into squares for a picnic. Golden, savory, slightly sweet.

Dessert

Corn Custard with Burnt Sugar

I once had corn crème caramel at a steakhouse in San Diego - served, improbably, as a side dish. It came in a little ramekin, barely warm, golden and trembling beside a slab of steak and a pile of greens. I took one bite and stopped. It was silken, just sweet enough, with a whisper of corn and the deep, grown-up edge of burnt sugar. Not quite savory, not quite dessert. Completely genius. I've been thinking about it ever since.

This version leans toward pudding - corn steeped in milk with vanilla, then blended into a custard that sets in the oven with a soft, satisfying wobble. The base is a quick caramel—sugar and water taken to amber then swirled into ramekins. Once the custards are baked and chilled, turn them out. The caramel will slide down the sides in dark, bitter-sweet ribbons. Good after dinner, or in the middle of it… or standing at the fridge, just you, spoon at the ready.

Corn Ice Cream Affogato - Corn ice cream is gentler than you’d expect—mildly sweet, softly golden. Serve a scoop with a shot of hot espresso poured over. Sweet, bitter, lush, slightly surreal. Slice the kernels from a few ears of sweet corn and simmer them with the cobs in cream, milk, and a touch of sugar until the mixture tastes richly of corn. Allow to steep, then strain. Whisk in egg yolks and gently heat until cooked into a custard, then chill until cold. Churn until smooth, pale yellow, and just set. It tastes like summer —sweet, milky, and oddly nostalgic.

Blueberry & Mulberry Corn Crumble - Crumble was the dessert of my childhood—changing with the seasons, always warm beneath custard, and crowned with a golden, buttery lid. In California, I’m often asked, “You mean a crisp?” Not quite. A crisp is its lighter, oat-flecked cousin. This crumble is neither completely English, nor completely American, but rather something uniquely in between. Effectively combining the soft richness of shortbread with the nubbly crunch of strudel and the summery addition of cornmeal, the crumble stays shy of a biscuity texture. Meanwhile, beneath this buttery covering, the berries collapse into fruity syrup.

Corn + Strawberries- At first glance, they don’t belong: corn - grassy and golden; strawberries - fragrant and red. But taste them together, especially in early summer, and it makes perfect sense: corn brings warmth and softness; strawberries add bright acidity and perfume. Amazingly, they meet somewhere in the middle—in that lazy, late-summer space between dessert and picnic.

In one of today’s recipes, I’ve made a corn strawberry Eton Mess (full recipe below) focussing on the unique flavor combination of these two ingredients. The meringue is laced with toasted ground corn husks. The ground husks definitely create the magic: toasted until they smell of buttered popcorn and prairie grass then ground and woven into the meringue they add a complex sweetness and a unique depth. Think strawberry pavlova grown up and gone west.

Corn + Brown Butter - Nutty and golden, brown butter adds depth to corn’s simple sweetness. Stir into hot kernels with salt, or brush over grilled corn with a sage leaf sizzling in the pan.

Corn + Coconut Milk - A tropical classic across Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. Corn simmered in coconut milk with ginger, lime leaf, and a whisper of sugar becomes dessert in Thailand, breakfast in Jamaica, and comfort everywhere else. Try a coconut-corn chowder spiked with green chili, or a corn ice cream base steeped with pandan and finished with toasted coconut flakes.

Corn + Basil + Lime - Think of this as a salsa waiting to happen. Add raw corn (sliced off the cob) into a bowl together with torn basil, a generous squeeze of lime, avocado, chili and maybe a few slices of radish. Either toss into quinoa or spoon over grilled halibut, or perhaps serve with ceviche?

Corn + White Chocolate - An unusual, but quietly genius pairing. White chocolate doesn’t bully—it softens and rounds, allowing corn’s sweetness to shine. Corn milk makes an unexpected base for ganache. Alternatively, fold roasted corn kernels into a white chocolate blondie batter together with a handful of freeze-dried raspberries for sharpness.

Corn + Parmesan Rind - The humble rind—often tossed, but worth its weight in culinary gold. Drop a rind or two into corn soup or risotto to create depth, salt, and warmth.

Corn + Smoked Paprika - A single teaspoon of smoked paprika and your corn dish will lean southwest - smoky, sultry, and just a little dangerous. Stir into corn chowder, sprinkle on elote, or swirl into a corn and potato hash with chorizo. The spice, native to Central America - like corn itself - brings it full circle.

Corn + Tarragon - Tarragon brings elegance and a cool, green note that lifts rich corn dishes out of heaviness. Fold into a corn and goat’s cheese tart or stir through a chilled corn soup with crème fraîche and lemon. The French would understand.

Corn + Jalapeños- Corn softens heat, never smothers it. Meanwhile, Jalapeños bring a grassy sharpness and just enough bite to cut through corn’s mellow sweetness. It’s a pairing that feels both familiar and thrilling—like a summer barbecue with a twist you didn’t see coming.

Try my recipe for cowboy candy butter: hot, sweet, and a little wild. It starts with candied jalapeños whipped into soft butter, then slathered over roasted corn. Each part—sticky-sweet peppers, smoky corn, freckled butter—holds its own, but together they become something else entirely. Serve with ribs, blackened chicken, or simply a warm baguette and a cold glass of white. It’s barbecue-adjacent, but also a little bit rock ’n’ roll.

Corn + Blueberries - Cornbread with blueberries is more than nostalgia—it’s balance, with the acidity of the berries cutting through the mellow warmth of the corn. Another idea could be to layer corn pastry cream in a tart shell, top with fresh blueberries and a scatter of sugar. Alternatively, spoon roasted blueberries over a cornmeal waffle and top with maple syrup. Dessert, but not overly sweet. Breakfast, if you’re lucky.

Corn + Lemon Zest - Citrus zest makes everything brighter, especially when cream or butter are involved. Grate lemon zest into corn fritter batter; finish corn risotto with zest (see recipe below) and a squeeze of juice for lift; or swirl through corn pudding to prevent a sense of cloying sweetness. Think of lemon zest as the citrus equivalent of a good edit: the message doesn’t change but everything improves.

Corn + Ricotta - A textural lullaby. Corn and ricotta belong in the same bowl—sweet, soft, gently tangy. Pile onto toast with black pepper and basil, fold into pancakes, or layer into a lasagna with zucchini and lemon zest. Neither shouts. Together, they sing.

Corn + Ginger - Surprisingly good. Ginger cuts through corn’s gentleness and gives it gusto. Try a chicken curry with corn, coconut milk, ginger, and lime.

Corn + Nutmeg - The quiet spice. Nutmeg doesn’t dominate—it deepens. Just a whisper in a corn pudding, polenta, or béchamel, makes everything taste warmer, rounder. The Victorians put nutmeg in everything from blancmange to oyster stew. They were onto something.

Corn + Sherry Vinegar - A little acidity does wonders. Sherry vinegar sharpens sweet corn, adding a note of intelligence. Drizzle into corn soup, especially one enriched with cream or add to a salad of corn, red onion, and mint. A dash too much and it turns bossy; just enough, and it’s quietly brilliant. Here's a tip: a dash of vinegar at the end of cooking (just before serving) can totally transform a dish. It sharpens soups, lifts creamy pastas, cuts through richness, and brings dull sauces back to life.

Corn + Black Pepper - Pepper doesn’t just add heat— it adds structure. It’s what turns sweetcorn into something complex. Try it in scrambled eggs with corn and chives, or stirred through a corn risotto with Parmesan and lemon. You barely notice it—until you do. A steady hand with a sharp edge.