Sweet corn is a hallmark of summer, and fresh sweet corn recipes show it at its best. From salads to mains, bread, puddings, kabobs, chowders-and even pizza -you'll find delicious ideas to make this season.
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From July through September, the cornfields near our home became my regular drive route. I love to see corn ripening in the fields, anticipating the incredible sweet flavors that come from fresh ears.
Like a checkmark on the calendar, ripening corn reminds me to savor every last bit of summer.
Whether growing your own or finding it at farmers' markets or the grocery store, every summer needs fresh, sweet corn. These recipes will perhaps inspire you to try corn in a few new ways.
Essential Sweet Corn Recipes
I'm not sure it can be summer without corn on the cob. How do you like it best? We've gathered delicious recipes for grilling and even steaming it.
Cornbread, while made all year, is especially wonderful with fresh ears and corn salads are an essential summer side.
1
Grilled Corn Zucchini Salad Recipe
This fresh and vibrant Grilled Corn Zucchini Salad is a summer favorite, featuring sweet grilled corn, smoky zucchini, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and a tangy feta-lemon dressing. Perfect for BBQs, picnics, and weeknight dinners.
This Bacon Corn Pudding is an adaptation of a Southern favorite originating from early Native American cooking. It's an easy side dish, perfect for Thanksgiving or the holidays.
Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce and Grilled Corn
Summer is about grilling, delicious food, and gathering with family and friends. These Grilled Ribeye Steaks with Chimichurri Sauce and grilled corn on the cob are everything we love about the season.
This easy Grilled Corn Salad is a delicious salad recipe, perfect for summer BBQs and picnics. A simple lime vinaigrette enhances the bright, sweet, and refreshing flavors of this chilled salad.
This simple sautéed corn with basil and butter is the ultimate late-summer side dish. Fresh sweet corn cooks in minutes, then gets tossed with fragrant basil and a touch of butter for a dish that's as beautiful as it is delicious.
"A quick and easy Mexican Corn Salad will be a favorite side all summer. It's healthy, a simplified version of elotes, robust with the warm and spicy flavors of cumin and red pepper. Serve warm or cold, it's simply delicious."
These grilled corn tacos are a fresh, healthy & easy summer dinner! The tasty filling is made of grilled corn, green beans, cheese & tangy tomatillo salsa.
"Rustically simple but incredibly delicious. Iron Skillet Cornbread is a treat when the steaming and moist bread comes to the table in the cast iron skillet."
Instant Pot Risotto with Zucchini and Fresh Sweet Corn
Instant Pot Risotto is the easiest way to make this dreamy, delicious dish. No stirring for minutes on end, very little prep, and mere minutes in the making!
Zucchini Corn Chowder is like a taste of summer in every bite. Filled with sweet corn, fresh zucchini, tender potatoes, and smoky bacon, it's a bowl of goodness you'll love.
"Farmers' Market Corn Chowder. It's not summer without it. Loaded with corn, thick with chunks of potato, celery, and carrots, flavored with smoked bacon, corn chowder is summer cooking at its best."
Instant Pot Chicken Corn Chowder, a hearty pressure cooker soup that's creamy and smooth, sweet with corn, tender with chunks of potato, and smoky with bits of bacon. Easy to make at a moment's notice. Any time of the year.
Instant Pot Mexican Rice with Corn and Black Beans
If you love Mexican food, likely Mexican Rice is a staple. Along with beans, corn, tortillas, and guacamole! This Mexican Rice is a standby favorite, with easy ingredients, convenient and simple in the Instant Pot -- and hands down, one of my favorite Mexican Rice recipes... ever!
Here's what to look for in choosing fresh ears of corn for those sweet corn recipes you can't wait to make!
Corn Silk
"Look at the silk first. If the silk is brown or black, dried out or matted, that corn is older than corn which is paler in color, moist or even sticky. The better looking the silk is the fresher the corn, and freshness is where the sweetness lies."
Corn Husk
"Then look at the husk. It should be bright green and not dried out or brown and should not be limp or overly damaged or bruised looking."
Corn Weight
"When choosing corn on the cob, what you are looking for is the weight. Take a cob and heft it in your hand. It should feel very heavy for its size, which indicates that it is full of juice, and that the cob itself is still full of sap. A light-feeling cob has started to go starchy, and the sap in the cob has stopped feeding the kernels."
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Stephanie Wilson
Cookbook Author, Food Writer, and Chef
Stephanie Wilson is the founder of 31Daily.com, where she shares seasonal recipes, weekly meal plans, and teatime favorites to help readers gather around the table with joy. A certified private chef, cookbook author, and longtime event planner, she brings over 20 years of experience in catering, food writing, and media production—including network television work as a producer, director, and writer. Her work has been featured by Today.com, The Kitchn, Parade, and more.
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