This grilled corn with Cajun brown butter deserves a spotlight and this recipe gives it one. Grilled until perfectly charred and blistered and brushed with spiced brown butter. It’s smoky, salty, and just spicy making it a great side dish on and off the cob.
One of my favorite side dishes during the summer is corn on the cob. It is so easy to make and on the grill it tastes amazing. This dish takes that easy to make side and gives it just a little bit of help. As butter is normally used on corn why not give the butter a little extra flavor and add some Cajun spice? Plus, now you don’t need to ruin a whole stick of butter since you can just brush it on and sprinkle a little salt and lemon zest on top.
Table of Contents
Simplicity at its best
There are only 6 ingredients in this recipe which makes it such a great side dish and more than likely everything is already in the kitchen/pantry.
Corn: you want good, sweet corn that has not been husked before buying.
Cajun seasoning: this can be store-bought or homemade, the only thing you will want to pay attention to is how much salt is in the seasoning.
Butter: use a good unsalted butter for this recipe.
The best part is you can cut the kernels off of the ear and use the corn in salads or as part of another dish as it is just so flavorful and delicious.
How to choose good fresh corn
You want to look buy corn that has not been husked. Once it has been husked the corn will start losing its flavor and become starchy. While it is still in the husk look for tightly packed leaves that are bright green. The tassel at the top, the clump of silky strands, should be yellow or golden brown. Avoid ears with dry and dark brown/black tassels, as this will indicate the ear is old. If you gently peel back the husk you want to see tightly packed kernels at the top.
How to get the perfect grilled corn
One of the key parts with grilled corn is making sure you don’t char it too much. While over direct heat you will only need to let the kernels face the flames/coals for 1-2 minutes. If you start hearing popping noises, you will want to rotate the cob immediately. You are looking to get some blacked/charred kernels but a majority of then should still be bright yellow or white.
Browned butter for the win
One of the best parts about grilled corn is the butter you get the slather all over it when you are ready to eat. This is no exception. The easiest way to control the browning of the butter and make sure you don’t burn it is to cook over medium heat. Once it melts the butter will start to foam. You will want to keep cooking and stir until the foam disappears. The milk solids at the bottom will start to brown and that is when you remove it from the heat and add the spices. This will prevent the milk solids from burning and ruining the butter.
Looking for other grilled side dish recipes
Grilled Corn with Cajun Brown Butter
Equipment
- Grill
- Sauté pan
- Pastry brush
- Spatula
- Tongs
Ingredients
- 6 ears sweet corn husked
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Instructions
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
Making brown butter
- In a sauté pan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir until the milk solids start turning brown and smells nutty, about 3-4 minutes. The butter will foam and then the foam will go away.½ cup unsalted butter
- Remove from the heat and add the Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika. Stir for 30 seconds and set aside.½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
Grilling the corn
- Grill corn over direct heat for 5-10 minutes, turning every 1-2 minutes, until charred in spots and tender.6 ears sweet corn
Assembly
- Once the corn is ready remove from the grill, brush with the browned butter and sprinkle with salt and lemon zest.1 tablespoon lemon zest, 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Nutrition
