By Week 316. Spring in Baton Rouge. The azaleas blooming, the crawfish running, the pit smoking. Rémy's cooking club at school expanding to 10 students, red beans and rice. The ordinary week that is not ordinary because no week is ordinary when you\'re paying attention. Every Tuesday has a flavor. Every Wednesday has a color. Every Thursday has a roux that turns a shade darker than the Thursday before, and the darkening is the living, and the living is the cooking, and the cooking is everything.
Made a dish that the family loved and that I\'ll add to the rotation: the kind of food that doesn\'t need a story because the food IS the story, told in butter and cayenne and the particular love that goes into a meal made by a man who has been making meals for seven years and who still, STILL, finds something new in the old techniques. The new is in the old. The old is in the new. The roux turns. The week ends. The food remains.
That dish I mentioned — the one that’s going into the rotation — it needed a side that could hold its own without stealing the show, something that honored the season the same way the week itself did. Corn was coming in sweet and the pit was already going, so grilled sweet corn was the obvious answer: nothing complicated, nothing that needed explaining, just good fire and good produce doing what they do best in a Baton Rouge spring.
Grilled Sweet Corn
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 ears fresh sweet corn, husks on
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Soak the corn. Place unshucked ears of corn in a large pot or bucket of cold water and soak for at least 10 minutes. This prevents the husks from burning too quickly on the grill.
- Prepare the grill. Heat your grill to medium-high heat, around 400°F. If using charcoal, let the coals ash over until they glow evenly.
- Make the seasoned butter. In a small bowl, combine softened butter, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and cayenne. Stir until fully blended and set aside.
- Grill in the husk. Shake excess water off the corn and place directly on the grill grates. Cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, turning every 3 to 4 minutes, until the outer husks are charred and the kernels inside are tender and steaming.
- Peel and finish. Remove corn from the grill and allow to cool for 2 minutes. Pull back the husks and silk carefully — the steam inside is hot. Brush generously with the seasoned butter while still warm.
- Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley if desired and serve immediately alongside your main dish.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 180 | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 290mg