This Southwestern Skillet Corn, aka Coyote Corn, is so good that once you serve it to the pack, they’ll be howling for more. Sweet corn, jalapeno peppers and sun-dried tomatoes come together for a fabulous side dish.
Why We Love This
Bold and earthy sundried tomatoes surprise themselves by complimenting the sweetness of the corn and pickles. The jalapeno peppers bring the excitement and the sliced green onions are a natural lively and crunchy addition.
The combination of flavors wrap around each other with creamy help from the melted butter and starch from the corn.
The cilantro topping is the icing on the cake for us. Somewhat of a Southwestern Corn Salad Recipe, this skillet fried corn with jalapeno = a delicious treat.
For this skillet corn recipe I used fresh Colorado sweet corn that I had tucked away in the freezer, a combination of Silver Queen and Super Sweet varieties purchased from the farmer’s market. But you can make this with frozen sweet corn or canned corn.
Let’s take a look:
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Sweet Corn. Use either frozen corn, or fresh corn that’s been removed from the cob.
- Green Onion.
- Cilantro.
- Sun-dried Tomatoes. I prefer the ones that come in a bag. They’re softer in texture.
- Jalapeno Peppers. The backbone to this Southwestern corn recipe.
- Butter. Salted or unsalted will work good here.
- Bread and Butter Pickles.
- Basil. Dried or fresh basil will work here.
Pro Tip: When substituting dried herbs for fresh, a good rule of thumb is 1 Tablespoon of fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs. Some herbs season better when used in dried form. Oregano is a good example.
Ingredient Subs and Swaps
- Green Onion: You most certainly can substitute chopped sweet onion for the green onion. Vidalia onions would be delicious here.
- Jalapeno Pepper: If jalapeno peppers are simply too spicy for you, substitute chopped Poblano peppers, or even a bell pepper.
- Pickles: I’ve used bread and butter pickles for this recipe as well as spicy style bread and butter pickles such as Famous Dave’s Sweet and Spicy pickles. Both are a delicious addition to this skillet corn.
- Butter: For a healthier version, substitute olive oil for the butter. And for an even more decadent version, use bacon grease in place of the butter.
Step by Step Instructions – It’s Easy
- Step 1: In a medium skillet, heat butter over medium high heat until foam subsides. Add corn and sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently for about five minutes.
- Step 2: Add jalapeno peppers and pickles.
- Step 3: Season with salt and pepper. Place in a serving bowl and toss in basil and green onions. I like to serve it in a cast iron skillet for a rustic presentation. Top with cilantro and serve.
Tips And Variations
- Preheat your skillet: Get that skillet nice and toasty over medium high heat before adding the butter. Once you add the corn, this will help the corn start cooking quicker and help seal in flavor and texture. If the pan is only warm, the corn will release moisture rather than start cooking. And use a heavy bottomed pan like a cast iron skillet.
- Don’t Overcook: Don’t over cook the corn. Frying it too long will cause the corn kernels to dry up and become too chewy.
- Stir Often: While the corn is frying stir often to avoid the corn sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- Add More Flavor: This skillet corn recipe is beaming with flavor, but try adding some bacon bits at the beginning of the cooking process. Once they’re turning crispy, proceed with the recipe instructions.
- Creamier: To make this recipe creamier, add a couple tablespoons of cream at the end of the recipe.
- Cheesier: Once the dish is complete, stir in a couple of tablespoons of cream cheese and blend, or garnish with crumbled Cotija Cheese.
Southwestern Corn FAQ’s
If you’re using fresh corn for this recipe, the easiest way to remove those kernels from the cob is to grab your bundt pan. Shuck the corn and remove all of the silk strands that are still clinging to the fresh corn. Place a cob on the the cylinder piece of the bundt pan. Using a sharp knife, start at the top of the cob and slice straight down, cutting the kernels from the cob. Turn the cob and repeat until all kernels are removed. The kernels will fall into the belly of the bundt pan. Works so much better than using a plate to catch those kernels.
Skillet corn is best served as soon as it cooks. If made ahead and then attempting to reheat, will cause the corn to toughen.
Yes you can, however make sure you drain the corn well. While the corn is in the colander use a paper towel to pat and absorb even more of the moisture.
What To Serve With Fried Corn
Coyote Corn served as a welcome side dish for this main dish bison steak dinner. Alongside fiery Mexican Micheladas. We love skillet corn with any grilled burger like this Steakhouse burger, or even Chicken Kabobs.
Where I Learned This Recipe
This recipe is from from a series of my favorite cookbooks. Our Denver Junior League Cookbooks. Award winning cookbooks that give us a goldmine of recipes that reflect Colorado’s casual style of living, rich heritage and natural bounty.
And if you’re looking for even more side dishes for picnic style gatherings, don’t miss my Side Dish Category, you’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular on my site for Broccoli Cheez Whiz Casserole.
And don’t miss this line-up of Summer cook-out sides. I’m positive you’ll find something you love.
Southwestern Skillet Corn (Coyote Corn)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 16 ounces frozen corn kernels or 3 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 3 Tablespoons jalapeno pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup bread and butter pickles chopped, a spicy brand is better
- 3 Tablespoons fresh basil fine chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1/3 Cup green onions thin sliced, including green tops
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, heat butter over medium high heat until foam subsides.
- Add corn and sun-dried tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently for about five minutes.
- Add jalapeno peppers and pickles. Season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 1 minute to blend heat and flavors.
- Place in a serving bowl and toss in basil and green onions. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with a sprig or chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Don’t Overcook: Don’t over cook the corn. Frying it too long will cause the corn kernels to dry up and become too chewy.
- Stir Often: While the corn is frying stir often to avoid the corn sticking to the bottom of the skillet.
- Add More Flavor: This skillet corn recipe is beaming with flavor, but try adding some bacon bits at the beginning of the cooking process. Once they’re turning crispy, proceed with the recipe instructions.
- Creamier: To make this recipe creamier, add a couple tablespoons of cream at the end of the recipe.
Skillet Southwestern Corn (Coyote Corn) … It’s What’s For Dinner.
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Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
The bread and butter pickles was a surprised ingredient. I’ve never had a savory corn salad with pickles. Sounds very interesting and tasty. Nice recipe!
Yum! It’s just about corn season here, so I’m looking forward to eating as much of the fresh stuff as I can while it’s in our market. Skillet corn is good, and your recipe is excellent. Thanks!
I like all corn okay but the two ways I really like it are boiled and fried in butter so I’m thinking the other ingredients in this dish (except maybe the pickles) would be something we would both enjoy and will try now that our local corn is in.
I just had to add after I was about to copy and paste the recipe, I saw that it was adapted from Colorado Collage which I have! I also love Creme de Colorado.
You’re right, this does sound wonderful!
I Love your blog1 Your pictures look pretty tasty too! 🙂
Oh my gosh! It is 4:41 AM and I WANT this. I am soooo making the corn, and while I eat steak only half a dozen times a year, my BF would eat it practically every might of the week. This is bookmarked and a must do! Thank you for sharing these recipes so that we all may enjoy them too. YUM!!
I could eat like 5 cups of that coyote corn!! YUMMMM
OMG – that corn looks amazing!! I’ll be trying it soon.