Creamless Corn with Sautéed Greens and Seared Salmon
You don't need cream to make the best corn this summer! Just some butter and broth will do the trick.
Serves6
Creamed corn conjures images of cafeterias and frozen TV dinners. But freshly cut corn, blended with a touch of butter to engage the natural starch in the kernels, is as surprising as it is satisfying. Making a quick broth with the cobs ensures that every last drop of flavor and starch is pulled from them.
Read more: A Week of Dinners with Abra Berens
Creamless Corn with Sautéed Greens and Seared Salmon
You don't need cream to make the best corn this summer! Just some butter and broth will do the trick.
Serves 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 6 ears
sweet corn (about 1/2 cup per ear), shucked, kernels cut off, cob liquid reserved
Neutral oil
- 2 sprigs
fresh thyme
- 1
medium red onion or shallot, cut into thin slices
Salt
- 4 tablespoons
butter
Freshly ground black pepper
- 6
(6-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
- 2 or 3 bunches
kale or any hearty greens you have like chard, cabbage, beet greens, or a mix (about 1 pound total), cut into ribbons
- 2 cloves
garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup
white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon
red pepper flakes
Instructions
In a medium pot, place the cobs and just enough water to cover and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the cobs from the liquid, giving them one final scrape with the back of a knife to extract as much liquid as possible back into the pot.
Bring the liquid to a boil and reduce to 2 cups.
In a new pot (or transfer the boiled liquid to a bowl and reuse the pot if you like), heat a glug of neutral oil over high heat until shimmering, and fry the thyme, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium and sweat the onion with a big pinch of salt, about 5 minutes.
Remove the thyme sprigs and add the corn kernels and the 2 cups cob broth. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
Use an immersion blender or food processor to whiz the corn until well blended, knowing there will be some chunks left. Add the butter, a pinch of salt, and pepper and stir until the butter is melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
In a large frying pan, heat a glug of oil until smoking. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper. Pat the skin-side dry and sear until medium. Remove from the pan to a plate, and let rest.
Wipe the frying pan clean and heat another glug of neutral oil over high heat until smoking. Add the greens and lightly fry. Add the garlic, a pinch of salt, the wine, and the pepper flakes and let cook until the liquid is reduced.
Spoon the corn onto dinner plates. Add a big forkful of greens to each and top with the salmon, skin-side up.
Recipe Notes
Reprinted with permission from Ruffage by Abra Berens, Chronicle Books 2019.
