It’s still fresh corn season here on the Gulf Coast! I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like just-picked corn on the cob, but even corn on the cob can get a little meh if you eat it day after day. We all need a few other corn recipes in our arsenal, and one of my favorites is maque choux. (Pronounced mock shoe.)
So why is this lovely dish called maque choux? No one really seems to know for sure. The consensus says it’s most likely a French approximation of an indigenous Indian term meaning, “That awesome corn stuff with the bacon on top that they make in Louisiana” or some such. (Those wacky Louisianians, I swear!)
Yes, this is a Louisiana thing. And, actually, it doesn’t always have bacon on top, although it does at my house. But either way it’s a dandy use of fresh corn in season, and we can’t get enough of those. A big platter of maque choux–especially underneath a pile of fat spicy shrimp–and some buttery toasted french bread is a quick but utterly delicious summertime dinner. And it’s fit for company if you’re inclined to share. I happen to know that if you serve this for dinner with Arnold Palmers* spiked with a little bourbon, you can declare yourself Queen (or King) of the World, and no one will argue until tomorrow at least.
This is such an easy dish to make, and it’s virtually fool-proof. My only tips are to make sure the bacon is crisp, and not to overcook the corn. Wilting the aromatics helps their flavor to permeate the entire dish, but the corn kernels should still be firm and delightfully crunchy with no raw taste.
*An Arnold Palmer is a mix of iced tea and lemonade, typically 3 parts unsweetened tea to 1 part lemonade. If you’re starting with very sweet tea, you may want to start with 4 parts sweet tea and one part straight lemon juice and adjust to taste from there.
Maque Choux
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 4 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
- ½ small red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and minced
- 6 ears fresh sweet corn, cut from the cob, the cob scraped with the back of the knife
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream if needed
- Optional: Shrimp, see Note.
Instructions
- Quickly fry the bacon in a skillet--cast iron is great for this. When bacon is crisp, drain on paper towels, and pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. If you don’t have 2 T. of bacon fat left in the skillet, add a pat of butter to the bacon fat you have.
- Turn the heat to medium low and add the scallions and the minced peppers. Sauté until the vegetables are very wilted.
- Add the corn and the juices from scraping the cobs. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the corn loses its raw taste but is still crisp, about 5 minutes. While the corn cooks, crumble the reserved bacon.
- Add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the corn in the skillet. Cook for another minute or two, stirring.
- If the mixture seems dry, add the cream and heat through. In any case, taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve hot with crumbled bacon on top.
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