Sautéed Corn with Miso, Butter and Scallions
For this umami-filled, savory-sweet side dish, plump, tender kernels cut from ears of fresh sweet corn are the first choice, but out of season an equal amount of frozen corn kernels that have been thawed and patted dry will work; they’ll just take a few minutes longer to brown. The optional furikake garnish adds even more layers of savory-sweet flavor (furikake is a Japanese condiment often sprinkled onto rice). Alternatively, add a little heat plus notes of sesame and citrus by sprinkling on some shichimi togarashi, or Japanese seven-spice blend.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sake
- 3 tablespoons white miso
- 2 tablespoons salted butter cut into 1-tablespoon pieces
- 4 cups fresh corn kernels from about 5 ears corn
- 1 bunch scallions white parts thinly sliced, green parts cut into 1-inch lengths, reserved separately
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
- ground white pepper or black
- furikake or shichimi togarashi to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sake and miso until no lumps remain. Set aside.
- In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, melt the butter.
- Add the corn and scallion whites, then cook, stirring often, until the corn begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger and cook, stirring, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the miso mixture and the scallion greens.
- Off heat, taste and season with pepper.
Video
Notes
- Don’t skip the step of whisking together the miso and sake. If added directly to the corn, the lumps of miso will be difficult to smooth out.
- Don’t use a conventional (i.e., not nonstick) skillet because the miso has a tendency to stick.