Sauteed Corn with Bacon ~ cooks in 10 minutes ~ sweet corn, crispy bacon, bell peppers and fresh basil for an easy summer side dish.
Once corn is ‘in season’ here in the Midwest, it’s literally everywhere. Driving up north you’ll come upon one roadside stand after another selling this delicious piece of summer for literally pennies an ear. You can’t beat it.
This side dish incorporates sweet corn with crispy salty bacon and fresh herbs in an easy corn recipe you can enjoy all summer.
Grilling corn caramelizes an already commodity taking it to the next flavor level. The same thing happens with you sauté it. The golden brown kernels are extra sweet and absolutely delicious but it all starts with the best ingredients.
How to choose the best corn on the cob:
The best sweet corn is the freshest, but how do you pick the freshest corn? The best place to buy fresh sweet corn is your local farmers market or roadside stand. If you’re lucky, the corn may have even been picked that morning.
Understandably, that’s not always an option but fortunately, supermarket corn is also fresh and delicious too.
Wherever you buy it, the corn silk should be a combination of yellow and golden brown and lightly sticky. If the silk is dry, the corn isn’t fresh.
Next look at the color of the husk. It should be bright green and tightly wrapped around the cob if the corn is fresh. Avoid dry, brown-ish husks because that means the corn is older.
Feel the corn through the husk. The kernels should be plump and go end to end and all the way around the cob.
Certainly, avoid corn with tiny brown holes in the husk indicating wormholes. Enough said.
Ingredients for Sauteed Corn with Bacon:
- bacon
- fresh corn on the cob
- bell pepper (any color)
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh basil leaves
How to make Sauteed Corn with Bacon:
Chop the bacon into small bite-size pieces then cook over medium to medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside, reserving the drippings in the skillet.
Cut the kernels off the cob (tip: slice into a bowl so the corn doesn’t fly all over), dice the bell pepper then add to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and sauté 4 minutes or until the corn is tender with a few brown kernels. The corn may pop, this is normal.
Fold in the bacon and basil, blending everything together. That’s it! The dish can be served hot or room temp.
This simple corn dish makes a great side with pretty much anything including grilled burgers, flank steak or pork tenderloin.
Enjoy!
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Sauteed Corn with Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon
- 2 cups fresh corn kernels 3-4 ears of corn depending on size
- 1/2 cup bell pepper diced (any color)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4-5 leaves fresh basil sliced to ribbons
Instructions
- Chop the bacon into small pieces then cook over medium to medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the skillet and set aside, reserving the drippings in the skillet.
- Cut the kernels off the cob, dice the bell pepper then add to the skillet.
- Season with salt and pepper then sauté over medium to medium-high heat 4 minutes or until the corn is tender with a few brown kernels. Fold in the bacon and basil, blending everything together.
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