Corn Off the Cob: Best Sweetcorn Recipes

There is something about corn and warm days that sits just right. Every single summer holiday I have been on has memories of corn: maybe I seek it out. Crunched straight off the cob, bathed in lime and butter, eaten with sandy feet on the beaches of Indonesia. Little plastic cups piled with elote corn, trimmed from its kernels, topped with sour cream, mayonnaise, cayenne and a squeeze of lemon from stands that line Mexican beaches and roadsides, and tamales – little patties of fluffy cornmeal wrapped in their husks and steamed over fires on the Native American reservations of Arizona. There is something about the sweet pop of a kernel of corn that makes it OK to eat when its searingly hot, when almost nothing else (apart from an ice-cream or an ice-cold coconut) will do.

Sweetcorn loses its sweetness by the hour. The quicker you can get it into the pot, or on to the grill, the better. Success depends more on shopping than cooking. If you find the corn still in its husk, make sure the husks are green and supple, not dry and pale, and that the corn underneath feels plump and full. Avoid the overly sweet varieties at the supermarket, which are, in my opinion, sweeter than necessary – and I have a very sweet tooth.

Corn with Chutney and Mustard-seed Butter (pictured above)

Grilled cobs, rolled in spiced butter then topped with a punchy, but fresh, green chutney.

Coconut Corn Salad via 101 Cookbooks

Corn, thyme, coconut and red onions: an absolute killer combination from Heidi.

Sweetcorn Tomato Curry

Cheery orange yolks and bright yellow kernels of corn make for a colourful curry.

Corn Risotto  (via The New York Times)

I’m normally a risotto purist, but something about this recipe changed my mind.

Traffic-light tomato cornbread brunch

A delicious start to a lazy weekend.

Indian Spiced Sweetcorn Fritters with Ginger Yoghurt via Thomasina Miers

Quick and flavourful fritters that work for pretty much any meal.