13 essential summer corn recipes

Delicious, versatile and easy to work with, corn — on or off the cob — is essential summertime fare. As we approach the midpoint of Southern California’s 6-month-long (May through October) corn season, here are some recipes to add to your repertoire.

Fresh, sweet corn on the cob is delicious straight from the pot, salted and, if you like, buttered. (Fill a pot with water, add a few shucked ears of corn and bring it to a boil. When the water boils the corn is done.) For a little more flavor, grill the corn and serve it with a tequila-lime compound butter. Or go all out with elote — Mexican street-food style corn on a stick, coated with cotija cheese and chili salt.

Off the cob, corn makes for wonderful side dishes such as an avocado corn relish to complement tacos and grilled meats, and braised corn with chanterelles, where the quick braising enhances the flavor of both ingredients. You can pair corn with zucchini in calabacitas or get a little more sophisticated with budin de elote, a rich, creamy corn and zucchini pudding.

Buffalo corn with bacon and eggs is a great breakfast fix — and perfect for any other quick, casual meal. Come lunchtime, corn kernels mixed with mozzarella and fontina cheeses give Korean corn grilled cheese a crunchy, toothsome dimension. The kernels serve a similar function in a charred okra and corn salad with spicy sausage vinaigrette.

Summer succotash and creamed corn are wonderful accompaniments to crisp-skinned salmon — all three dishes come together in about 30 minutes. Halibut steamed in corn husks is another quick, easy meal; the husks impart intense grassy, corn flavor to the delicate fish and leave it impossibly juicy.

A light hand with the cream and fresh, sweet corn make for a delightful, summery corn chowder. Indonesian corn cakes, studded with shrimp, celery and onions, make a terrific appetizer or side.

Any part of a meal, any time of day, any way you prepare it, corn will add texture, color and the taste of summer to your spread.