Maque Choux

Maque choux is a traditional Cajun dish of Louisiana with Native American cuisine roots. It has corn, corn milk, mild peppers, smoky bacon, and buttery cream sauce!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword cajun recipes, corn side dishes, southern side dishes

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 375kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

6 ears of corn one layer of husks peeled back, silks trimmed
8 slices of bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 celery stalks diced
1 red bell pepper chopped about 1/4 inch
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Using a large knife, slice the kernels of the cobs (6 ears) into a bowl.
Use the dull edge of a knife and scrape the edges of the corn cobs, pressing to get some of the corn milk to release; Set aside.
In a 12-inch skillet, over medium heat, cook the bacon (8 slices) pieces until cooked through and crispy, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer cooked bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate. Leave bacon grease in the skillet.
To the skillet with bacon drippings add butter (1/4 cup), onion (1), celery (2 stalks), and peppers and sauté over medium heat until soft, about 6-7 minutes.
Add corn, heavy cream (1 cup), Cajun seasoning (2 teaspoons), and smoked paprika (1/2 teaspoon). Mix well. Simmer until the liquid has reduced slightly. Remove from heat.
Stir in bacon. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve.

Notes

Watch The Spicy Burn: This recipe uses jalapeño peppers, which are mild when the seeds and ribs are removed. You can choose to use gloves to do this. If you don’t use gloves, please don’t touch your face afterward!
- Simply cut off the stem, cut it in half lengthwise, and use a spoon to remove the seeds and ribs in one swift move, scraping down the length of the pepper.
Switch It Up: Instead of using jalapeños, try poblanos chilis instead, or use both!
Corn Milk: Corn milk is nectar from the Gods! In fact, if you are ever cooking with corn, always milk the cobs and add the juice to your dish or to your soups, stocks, salad dressing, or corn pudding later in the week.
Pronounce: Maque Choux is pronounced ‘make shoe’, in case you were wondering!

Nutrition