Maque Choux, a South Louisiana favorite.
Maque Choux is a Creole/Native American mash-up of sweet corn fried up in a pan with some other veggies.
Some people make their maque choux with a lot of cream. I did not grow up eating a creamy maque choux. My husband did. So I added a tiny bit of cream to my maque choux, just enough to bind it all. NO REGRETS! It was delicious.
This dish takes me back to my childhood when my mom would make it and none of us liked raw tomatoes so I would beg her to leave it out.
Now that I am an adult, I still leave out the raw tomatoes. Add them if you like, but I don’t think it needs them.
My in laws live further up in Cajun country where there are more farmers growing fresh corn. It is so sweet it almost tastes like you dipped it in sugar.
They gave us 6 ears and I knew exactly what I’d do with them.
***Note: If your corn isn’t as sweet, I’d probably add 1/2 tsp of sugar to this dish. It complements it so nicely!
Here’s how I threw it all together.
Cut the corn off the cob and take the back end of a knife to scrape the “corn milk” out.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, sauté onion garlic and red bell pepper in a little bacon grease and butter.
Cook until veggies soften.
Add the corn and “corn milk” and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently for about 10 minutes or so.
Toss in green onions and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
Add heavy cream and cook for a few more minutes until cream reduces.
Season to taste. (if you like spice, add cayenne!)
Maque Choux
1 tsp bacon grease
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
6 ears corn
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup heavy cream
On a large cutting board, cut the corn off the cob. Take the back end of a knife and scrape off the “corn milk.” Set aside.
In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter and bacon grease. Cook the onion, garlic, and bell pepper until veggies soften.
Next, add the corn and corn milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an additional 10 minutes or so, stirring frequently.
Add the green onions and cook for another 5 minutes.
Pour in the cream and cook until it reduces.
If you like spice, add cayenne. I just stuck with salt and pepper.
***Side note – This freezes well! I put it in a Ziploc bag and lay it flat in the freezer.
