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30 Days of Summer Corn Recipes

30 Days of Summer Corn Recipes

By Food & Wine

Updated June 04, 2019

Kate Winslow

We’re going to let you in on a little secret—grilled corn on the cob isn’t your only option this summer. It’s delicious, no doubt, and we’ve happily slathered it with toppings like mango-habanero butter and roasted garlic spread. But there’s also plenty of other summer corn recipes out there, whether you’re looking for a sweet-and-savory soup (corn potage is your best bet) or a light snack (how does everything-bagel popcorn sound?). Read on for some of our favorite summer corn recipes, from the grill to the stovetop.

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Day 1: Green-Market Tacos with Corn Crema

© Con Poulos

Toss sweet summer corn and raw green and yellow wax beans in a creamy, tangy mix of yogurt, feta, olive oil and cilantro to use as the filling for tortillas. It's a great vegetarian meal on a hot day because there's no cooking involved. For carnivores, it can easily be embellished with sliced roast beef, ham or shredded chicken. Just be sure to get the freshest corn and beans you can find.

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Day 2: Creamless Creamed Corn with Mushrooms and Lemon

Frances Janisch

"My granny taught me that when corn is very fresh, the juices are naturally creamy," Atlanta chef Kevin Gillespie says. "I took that as the gospel." He grates half of the corn here to make a puree that thickens without cream. And, PROTIP: Gillespie recommends scraping corn cobs with the dull side of a knife to remove the juices.

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Day 3: Grilled Corn with Nasturtium Emulsion and Flowers

Bobby Fisher

F&W Best New Chef 2017 Jay Blackinton, of Hogstone’s Wood Oven on Orcas Island, Washington, emulsifies fresh nasturtium leaves with mustard, apple cider vinegar and oil to form a bright tasting and green spread for sweet grilled corn. For an even more striking presentation, he sprinkles edible flowers and herbs on the corn as well.

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Day 4: Corn Dogs with Krab Relish

John Kernick

F&W Best New Chef 2015 Tim Maslow coats beef hot dogs in a fresh corn batter and fries them, before topping them with a relish of imitation crab, pickle and yellow mustard. After making this recipe, we can almost guarantee you'll never eat a state fair corn dog again.

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Day 5: Mexican Grilled-Corn Salad with Citrus Aioli

Rick Poon

This sweet, salty corn salad is the perfect picnic side. Bring it with you to the beach, to the park or on your next summer road trip. Bonus: You can make the aioli the night before and fold in right before serving. It's truly the easiest, quickest recipe you can make.

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Day 6: Whipped Corn Dip with Chili Oil

Nicole Franzen

We strongly believe that every party needs a good dip, so it only makes sense that we would have a show-stopping corn dip on this list. F&W’s Justin Chapple blends sweet corn with creamy ricotta in this versatile dip, which we love with fresh veggies and chips.

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Day 7: Grilled Sweet Corn with Coconut Glaze

Ian Flanigan

F&W Best New Chef 2016 Kris Yenbamroong of Night + Market in L.A. calls this one of his favorite summer treats because it's "high pleasure, low hassle." The coconut milk and sugar in the sauce he generously glazes the grilled corn with intensify the sweet flavor.

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Day 8: Corn-and-Zucchini Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

Con Poulos

This recipe elevates your typical pasta salad with sweet grilled corn, zucchini and a creamy lime dressing spiked with chile powder. It calls for fresh cilantro to add brightness and then the whole salad is topped with tangy slivers of fresh goat cheese. This is exactly what summer should taste like.

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Day 9: Grilled Scallops with Miso-Corn Salad

Victor Protasio

This recipe, a favorite for quick and easy backyard dinners, incorporates miso, ginger, and toasted sesame, adding a savory dimension to the salad and a rich contrast to the corn and scallops’ inherent sweetness.

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Day 10: Corn-Studded Corn Muffins with Honey Mascarpone

Nicole Franzen

We love our corn fresh, but it’s also a delicious and handy ingredient for baking. Here, F&W’s Justin Chapple keeps his corn muffins light and moist by using buttermilk in the batter. With a swipe of sweet honey mascarpone, these muffins make a wonderful, indulgent breakfast or a perfect Southern dinner side.

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Day 11: Creamy Shrimp, Corn and Tomato Chowder

Fredrika Stjärne

The Chew co-host Carla Hall has a short-cut ingredient in this recipe: a can of creamed corn. She uses it to add sweet corn flavor to her take on chowder and to thicken the broth in place of too much cream or flour. An easy weeknight dinner, you can whip this up in just 45 minutes.

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Day 12: Corn on the Cob with Parsley Butter and Parmesan

Nicole Franzen

This simple, 30-minute recipe is one of the best ways to celebrate corn in its naked, barely-touched form. Chef April Bloomfield boils her corn in the husk to make removing the fine silk easier, then adds grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and homemade herb butter. You'll never want to eat plain buttered corn again.

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Day 13: Spaghetti with Corn Carbonara and Crab

John Kernick

F&W Best New Chef 2015 Tim Maslow amps up spaghetti with a creamy, yet somehow creamless, fresh corn sauce, guanciale and sweet crab. If you’re entertaining you can make the strained corn puree ahead of time and refrigerate overnight. We also recommend pairing it a glass of Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

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Day 14: Kalbi Ribs and Grilled Corn with Kalbi Butter

John Kernick

Chef Stephanie Izard’s Korean beef kalbi ribs are a summer mainstay you'll make for festive parties or big family dinners year after year. They’re especially fantastic with the crisp, buttery charred corn, which we cannot recommend enough—especially with a dark, malty brown ale.

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Day 15: Grilled Squash, Corn and Kale Salad with Sunflower Seed Vinaigrette

Adrian Gaut

The creamy sunflower seed dressing for this hearty summer salad is flavored with za’atar, the classic Middle Eastern spice mix that often includes thyme, oregano or marjoram, sesame seeds, tangy sumac and often salt. It really brings out the fresh flavors of the squash, corn and kale, which are at their peak during the summer.

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Day 16: Corn Chaat with Tomato-Tamarind Chutney

Jennifer Causey

Traditional chaat, an Indian street-food snack, throws every addictive flavor and texture together, from crunchy and fried to cool and creamy, tangy to sweet and fiery. Chef Biju Thomas uses grilled fresh corn for his summertime version. The chutney does much of the work here—tart, sweet, and layered with aromatic ginger and spices.

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Day 17: Everything-Bagel Popcorn

© Eva Kolenko

You know we like our corn grilled, boiled and baked into muffins, but we also love it popped. At The Riddler in San Francisco, Jen Pelka offers different flavored popcorns to snack on while drinking Champagne. The one here is seasoned like an everything bagel, with caraway, sesame, onion, garlic and flaky salt. It’s irresistible.

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Day 18: Grilled Cobia Salad with Corn and Watermelon

John Kernick

Chef Kevin Willmann of Farmhaus in St. Louis likes to grill cobia, a sweet, flaky whitefish, for this bright, refreshing salad with corn and watermelon. If you can’t get wild cobia, mahimahi or even farm-raised cobia are also a sustainable choice. Willmann also suggests chilling the grilled fish before assembling the salad for easier and cleaner flakes.

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Day 19: Steamed Lobster and Corn for a Crowd

Victor Protasio

Lobsters are about 30 percent meat by weight, so go for the slightly larger 1 1/2-pound ones, and plan for about two lobsters per person for the weekend. Look for lobsters from Maine, which are harvested sustainably.

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Day 20: Fresh Corn Grits with Shrimp

Seth Smoot

When F&W gave our market basket challenge to Top Chef Season 5 contestant Jeff McInnis, Miami’s Southern-inflected Yardbird restaurant, we purposefully included shrimp but no grits. McInnis didn’t care: He made his own fast, fresh version with the corn that was also in the basket. No grits, no problem.

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Day 21: Uchepos (Fresh Corn Tamales)

Victor Protasio

Fresh pureed corn is wrapped in its husks and steamed until firm. The resulting sweet corn tamales are delicious served with salsa verde.

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Day 22: Grilled Corn on the Cob with Calamansi Mayo

Victor Protasio

Chef Sheldon Simeon’s recipe for a Hawaiian twist on Mexican elote features grilled corn slathered in a creamy, cheesy calamansi mayonnaise, which gets its acidic twang from a sour citrus fruit native to the South Pacific (you can substitute Key Limes in a pinch).

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Day 23: Sweet Corn-Epazote Quesadillas

Sarah Bolla

Epazote, a prevalent herb in Mexican cooking, has a pungent, strong, earthy and citrusy smell to it, which begins to mellow when cooked, leaving it reminiscent of a mixture of sage, lemon, and parsley. It’s delicious when sautéed with sweet corn and served inside a crispy quesadilla. This may become your new favorite snack.

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Day 24: Corn Potage

Greg DuPree

Thick corn soup is a Taiwanese lunch-box staple; at Kato in Los Angeles, Best New Chef Jonathan Yao also borrows from congees and egg drops for his luxe rendition, which surrounds a brilliant yellow, oil-poached egg yolk. A riff on Taiwanese corn soup, Yao’s Corn Potage soothes with its deep flavor and silky-smooth texture.

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Day 25: Fresh Corn Soufflé with Bacon and Comté

Anna Williams

Corn is, perhaps surprisingly, an excellent base for this decadent cheese soufflé, which is enhanced by the addition of smoky bacon. This extremely impressive-looking dish takes just 35 active minutes to make, but will keep your dinner guests satisfied for the rest of the night.

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Day 26: Warm Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon and Cider Vinegar

Fredrika Stjärne

In this riff on corn chowder, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, known as the Fabulous Beekman Boys, toss corn, potatoes and bacon with cider vinegar. They grow at least five varieties of sweet corn each summer, and they're always coming up with new ways to use it. Because the corn for this salad is barely cooked, it's best to use the juiciest kernels available.

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Day 27: Chicken Fajitas with Sweet Corn

Todd Porter & Diane Cu

Pops of tender corn are a sweet addition to these classic chicken fajitas. If fresh corn is not available, feel free to use frozen corn instead. Absolutely perfect for a quick weeknight dinner when you're on the go, this dish takes just 25 minutes to create from start to finish.

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Day 28: Sweet Corn Panna Cotta with Fresh Blueberry Compote

Con Poulos

Using sweet corn in a creamy, silky panna cotta makes for an unexpected dessert. This is an ideal dish for summer entertaining because it is a recipe that calls for overnight chilling. You just need to set aside 45 minutes to cook the day before your guests arrive and you'll be set the day of.

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Day 29: Corn Soup with Vadouvan

John Kernick

F&W Best New Chef 2014 Ari Taymor doesn't let a single bit of corn go to waste in this soup, combining corn cob broth with corn juice and fresh corn kernels spiced with vadouvan, a French spice blend inspired by Indian curry. And if you’re the planning type, the soup can be refrigerated for 2 days and rewarmed before serving.

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Day 30: Ceviche with Corn and Sweet Potatoes

Kate Winslow

Peruvian ceviches often include choclo, a type of large, chewy corn that can be hard to find in the States. Fresh sweet corn, though less typical, makes a fine substitute. It's a refreshing, summery dish that you can whip together quickly, as long as you leave enough time for marinating.

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