Make these savory corn pancakes the side dish of the season

By Beth Dooley, The Minnesota Star Tribune

Corn, sweet and tender, is in joyful high season. There’s lots of it, and it’s easy to find, easy to love!

The best way to eat corn is straight off the cob, dripping with butter and showered with coarse salt … or grilled to roasty, caramelized perfection and slathered with spicy lime mayo. But hurry, the season for corn is now. Enjoy it by the bushel before summer and corn fade into a hazy memory.

Make sure the corn is local and fresh. Look for plump, dark green husks that are heavy in the hand. This means the ear is mature and the kernels are the proper size. (Please don’t peel back the husk to check the interior.)

In our home, we eat cob after cob, night after night, until sometime near mid-August, when we’re ready for another approach. Corn and tomato salad? Creamed corn? Corn chowder? Succotash? Better yet, savory corn pancakes.

Studded with sweet corn kernels, garden herbs and a kick of chili crisp, these are not your breakfast pancakes. They’re more like cornbread with a lovely crisp, crusty edge. The batter of cornmeal adds texture, flavor and crunch; browned butter adds a dark, nutty touch.

These are just as delicious with fresh raw corn cut straight from the cob as they are with leftover corn from last night’s barbecue. Whether grilled or steamed, you’ll want to use up that corn. You could also stir into the batter shredded Cheddar or Parmesan cheese, a little chopped ham or cooked bacon for heft. Top these with peppers and cherry tomatoes that have been roasted to turn jammy, tangy and sweet. Fresh tomato salsa and a dollop of sour cream also would be lovely.

Corn and tomatoes are the season’s perfect partners. Served as a substantial side dish to roasted or grilled chicken or as a light dinner, this pair shines with summer’s pizazz!

Savory Sweet Corn Pancakes with Jammy Tomatoes and Peppers

Makes 1 dozen 3-inch pancakes, serving about 4 to 6.

Studded with sweet, tender corn kernels and fragrant garden herbs, these pancakes are topped with jammy tomatoes and peppers for a taste of summer on a plate. You can make the batter several hours in advance, hold in a covered container in the refrigerator, and cook right before serving.

Jammy tomatoes and peppers:

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 large red or orange bell pepper, cored and cut into ½-in. pieces
• 2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil
• Coarse salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Chopped basil

Sweet corn pancakes:

• ¼ c. (4 tbsp.) butter
• 1 c. fine yellow cornmeal
• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 ¼ c. buttermilk or whole milk yogurt
• 1 tsp. chili crisp, Sriracha or your favorite hot sauce
• 2 eggs
• 2 c. corn kernels, from about 2 ears corn
• ¼ c. chopped parsley
• Oil for the skillet

Directions

To make the jammy tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes and peppers with enough oil to generously coat. Spread out on a baking sheet in one layer. Season with salt and pepper. Roast until the tomatoes begin to split and the peppers become very tender. Remove, top with the chopped basil, and cover to keep warm.

To make the sweet corn pancakes: In a small saucepan or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir and watch as it becomes foamy, then begins to smell nutty, golden and starts to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the browned butter, buttermilk, chili crisp and eggs. Fold this into the dry ingredients until no dry streaks of flour remain. Fold in the corn kernels and herbs.

Film a large skillet or griddle with a little oil and set over medium-high heat. Ladle about ¼ cup of the batter onto the griddle, spreading it out with a spatula, repeating with as many as you can fit onto the pan. Cook undisturbed until the edges of the pancakes begin to set and bubbles start to break the top surface, about 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes. Carefully flip the pancakes with a thin, flexible spatula and cook on a second side until golden brown and set, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and set in a rimmed baking sheet in a warm oven while you cook the remaining pancakes. Serve topped with the jammy tomatoes and peppers.