Mexican Blackened Corn

This charred corn dish is perfect as a side, as a topping on a taco, mixed into a salad, with quinoa, or even served cold. I discovered a similar dish at the Amigo Room inside The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, CA. This was a staple of my diet in California, and since I've moved to New York, I set out to perfect their recipe and put my spin on it. This is my version; I hope you enjoy it!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 179 Calories

Ingredients

• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup beer
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ small red bell pepper, chopped
• 4 slices bacon (Optional)
• 4 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut from the cob
• ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place bacon in a large, deep skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate. When cool, chop bacon and set aside.

Step 2

Place corn kernels into a large skillet over high heat; sprinkle cumin, sea salt, and cayenne pepper over corn. Turn corn over with a spatula as it cooks, then stir in onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Stir corn mixture every few minutes, until it begins to stick in the pan.

Step 3

Pour beer into the pan to help unstick corn; cook and stir until corn develops very dark spots and onion and red bell pepper are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with chopped bacon, cotija cheese, and cilantro.