This skillet charred corn aka blackened corn is the perfect versatile summer side dish that you can put together in under 15 minutes.
It has the perfect play of textures and smoky, intense flavors, making it one of the best recipes to try when corn is in season.
All you’ll need is a few simple seasonings and pantry staples, and you’ll have a total crowd pleaser ready!
Summer is all about using fresh produce to its best, and when I have lots of corn to put to use, I always end up making some grilled tandoori corn or this skillet charred corn.
It is a perfect budget-friendly recipe that is not just great as a BBQ or potluck side, but is also sure to be a hit with the kids!
Plus, you can tweak and play around with the ingredients and seasonings that go into it, and give it your twist!
Jump to:
- What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Ingredients For the Blackened Corn Recipe
- How to Make the Blackened Corn
- Substitutions & Variations
- 💭Top Tip
- Equipment
- How to Store the Leftover Blackened Corn
- How Can I Use the Leftover Skillet Charred Corn
- Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- How to Serve the Blackened Corn
- FAQs
- Related Recipes
- Blackened Corn | Skillet Charred Corn
What's So Great About the Recipe?
My favorite part about this easy side dish recipe is the fact that you can make it with almost any kind of corn you can get your hands on- fresh or frozen.
Corn is the perfect side to serve with almost any of your mains, and this recipe hits just the right spots when it comes to flavors and textures.
Plus, you can actually prep this rather simple recipe in advance too, but more on that later!
Ingredients For the Blackened Corn Recipe
Corn: To make the skillet charred corn, I used fresh corn on the cob.
Seasonings: I used a mix of different seasonings like smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Herbs: To add some extra flavor to the blackened corn, I added some dried thyme and chopped fresh basil and cilantro.
Lime: Some fresh lime juice really lifts the flavors of the dish, and takes it to the next level.
Oil: I like to drizzle a bit of oil over my hot skillet to get it nice and ready for the corn, and to keep the corn from sticking to the surface.
Butter: Butter lends a nice bit of rich flavor to the cob. You can skip this if you’re trying to keep it vegan.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make the Blackened Corn
Making the best blackened corn is an easy process. Use a sharp knife to chop the fresh sweet corn into half.
In a small bowl, melt butter and prepare the blackened seasoning rub by combining the butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, chopped basil and cilantro.
Brush this mixture over the corn on all sides.
In an iron skillet over medium heat, heat oil and place corn directly into the skillet on the stovetop, and turn the corn around when it starts to get brown-black.
Make sure you don’t move the corn too much, and allow it to get that perfect charred flavor on all the sides.
Serve the grilled corn on a plate with lemon wedges and enjoy!
Substitutions & Variations
- If you don’t have the fresh corn that this recipe calls for, you can actually use canned corn too. Just remember to drain off all the excess liquid before you cook the corn.
- If you’re not too keen on using corn on the cob, you can also choose to strip the corn and use only the kernels.
- To make the skillet charred corn more spicy, you can also add some cayenne pepper.
- You can also try using different seasoning rubs like Italian seasoning or garlic bread seasoning to bring in some flavor variation.
💭Top Tip
If you have any leftover homemade blackened seasoning, you can store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for weeks, and use it for many other of your favorite grill recipes.
Equipment
How to Store the Leftover Blackened Corn
If you have any leftovers, you can move it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for 4-5 days.
You can then reheat the blackened corn in a skillet over high heat or even in the microwave if you want to.
How Can I Use the Leftover Skillet Charred Corn
You can enjoy the leftover charred corn on its own, or make it a part of another corn dish if you want to.
You can whip up a quick corn salsa or make some Mexican street corn, or even some delicious corn salad.
Another great corn side dish to try making is a nice and creamy corn dip.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- If you’re planning to make blackened corn with corn kernels, you’ll need to remove corn from the cob. Use a sharp knife to slice the kernels and repeat until the corn is fully stripped.
- To bring more flavor to the corn, slather some more of the blackened seasoning on the corn on the grill.
- You can also add some dried mint to the seasoning mix to lend it that extra punch of flavor and deliciousness.
- Make sure you keep an eye on the corn and get it out of the skillet once it seems charred enough, without burning it.
- If you’re making this in a big batch, I would recommend that you heat a large cast iron skillet, ideally a deep skillet that can fit lots of corn halves at the same time.
- Remember to cook corn only until it is slightly charred - you don’t want to end up burning it. The idea behind this blackened corn recipe is to get you to enjoy that smoky flavor while still preserving the sweetness of the corn.
How to Serve the Blackened Corn
One of the best things about this skillet charred corn recipe is the fact that it’s super simple and effortless to put together. Just get it out of the skillet once it’s done, and serve!
If you really want to go the extra mile, here are a few other serving ideas and suggestions.
As a Side
The blackened corn can be a great side dish to your Mexican food, rice dishes or even some hot dogs. Plus, they’re perfect, portion-sized and ready to be devoured!
With Grilled Meats
This flavorful corn can be paired with almost any grilled meat of your choice. I love teaming it up with seafood and chicken.
With Extra Toppings
Extra toppings always mean extra flavor, and who can say no to that? You can drizzle some of the blackened seasoning over the corn, or top the corn with some crumbled Cotija cheese or feta cheese, or just some fresh, chopped herbs.
In a Salad
I love using this blackened corn as a part of a nice summer salad. You can team up some fresh summer veggies like tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers and cucumbers along with the charred corn kernels, and toss them together to make a crunchy salad.
FAQs
You sure can! You can use fresh corn or frozen corn kernels- whatever you can get your hands on.
True blackened corn is usually cooked in a cast iron skillet, but if you don’t have one, you can make this recipe in a stainless steel pan too. Just remember to remove the corn off the cob for this version.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Blackened Corn | Skillet Charred Corn
Ingredients
- 2 sweet corn
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon chopped basil
- 2 teaspoon chopped cilantro
- Oil
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Making the best blackened corn is an easy process. Use a sharp knife to chop the fresh sweet corn into half.
- In a small bowl, melt butter and prepare the blackened seasoning rub by combining the butter, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, chopped basil and cilantro.
- Brush this mixture over the corn on all sides.
- In an iron skillet over medium heat, heat oil and place corn directly into the skillet on the stovetop, and turn the corn around when it starts to get brown-black.
- Make sure you don’t move the corn too much, and allow it to get that perfect charred flavor on all the sides.
- Serve the grilled corn on a plate with lemon wedges and enjoy!