Give your corn a Louisiana style makeover with this Cajun Maque Choux! Corn is sautéed in bacon grease with Cajun or Creole seasoning, along with other flavor enhancers.
This recipe is perfect for summer, when corn season is at its peak. It will become the new star side dish at your cookouts and potlucks.
It’s sweet, it’s savory, and it’s just a little bit spicy…
They sure know how to make some tasty food in Louisiana, even when it comes to side dishes. Our Dirty Rice and Creole Coleslaw are two such sides.
This Maque Choux has become one of my favorites for summer, because I love corn, and that’s when it is at it’s peak.
It can surely be considered a cousin, or maybe even sibling, to Succotash. But this one has a little more punch.
What is Maque Choux
Maque Choux, pronounced…
… is a traditional Louisiana dish thought to be a combination of Cajun and Native American cuisines.
Corn, bell peppers and onions are sautéed in bacon grease, along with seasonings, and sometimes other ingredients.
It’s usually a side dish, but the addition of meat or seafood can transform Maque Choux into a one pot main dish.
Ingredients
- Bacon – The bacon grease is used as the sauté medium, but we also like to crumble it into the dish. In its absence, you can use butter.
- Corn – Definitely go with fresh when it’s in season, but frozen works if you don’t have access to fresh.
- Bell Peppers – We are using green and red.
- Onion
- Cajun or Creole seasoning.
- Cream – Optional, but so good.
How to Make Maque Choux
Fry the bacon in a skillet, then remove to a plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease (save the rest in the fridge for future recipes, it can be refrigerated up to 3 months).
Add the chopped peppers and onions, along with Cajun or Creole seasoning. We always recommend making your own. You can follow our recipe for homemade Creole Seasoning.
Sauté for a few minutes, till they start to soften, then add the corn. Sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
You can stop right there, add the bacon, and have a cracker dish. But to really take your maque choux to the next level, stir in some heavy cream. Once hot, add crumbled bacon.
Variations
- Add in other veggies, like celery or tomatoes.
- Make it a lighter dish by replacing the cream with chicken stock.
- Give it a bit more kick by adding in Louisiana style hot sauce.
- For a complete meal, first sauté bites of chicken meat or shrimp. Plate it out while you cook the dish, then add it back in with the cream. Or, use leftover rotisserie chicken.
Leftovers and Storage
Maque Choux makes great leftovers, simply refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Reheat on stovetop with a splash of water.
You can freeze it, but set aside any portion to be frozen before adding the cream, as that does not freeze well.
This summer, take your corn to the next level and make this Maque Choux. It’s a super tasty recipe that we absolutely love.
Take it to your next potluck, everyone will be asking for the recipe!
Pin or bookmark this great recipe so you always know where to find it. And be sure to subscribe to GypsyPlate, we’re always cooking up new easy recipes for you!
Maque Choux, in our Gypsy Bowl… enjoy!
Try these other great Cajun and Creole dishes!
Jambalaya Pasta
Shrimp Creole
Cochon de Lait
Remoulade Sauce
Shrimp Remoulade
Cajun Shrimp Scampi
Grillades and Grits
Yakamein
Maque Choux
Give your corn a Louisiana style makeover with this Cajun Maque Choux! It's the perfect summer side dish when sweet corn is in season.
Ingredients
- 4 slices bacon
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1.5 Tbsp Creole seasoning
- 4 cups corn kernels
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Fry the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, then remove to a plate. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease.
- Add the chopped peppers and onion, along with Creole seasoning.
- Sauté for a few minutes, till they start to soften, then add the corn. Sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream, and cook till it heats up.
- Add in crumbled bacon and serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 207Total Fat 11gSaturated Fat 6gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 30mgSodium 1050mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 7g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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