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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.

Notes

NOTE: This is an excellent main dish with boiled ,roasted, or sautéed shrimp added just before serving. The photo above includes ½ lb. medium Gulf shrimp, peeled and tossed with cajun seasoning, and then quickly sautéed in 2 T. butter.