Maque Choux Sausage Corn
A hearty Southern dish combining fresh corn, spicy sausage, and vibrant vegetables, simmered together to create a flavorful and comforting meal perfect over rice or grits.
Equipment
- 1 large skillet for sautéing ingredients and cooking sausage
- 1 medium bowl for collecting corn kernels
- 1 sharp knife for shaving corn kernels from cobs
Ingredients
- 6 fresh ears of corn shucked
- 1 lb hot sage sausage or other hot sausage casings removed
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs finely chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper seeded and finely chopped
- 1 small serrano chile seeded if desired, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Cooked white rice or grits for serving
Instructions
- Set one corn cob upright in a medium bowl and carefully shave kernels off by slicing down the sides with a sharp, nearly vertical knife. Scrape the cob to release the corn milk into the bowl; reserve cobs.
- Place sausage in a cold large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon until fat is rendered, about 8 minutes. Transfer sausage to a medium bowl.
- In the same skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, and serrano chile. Season with half the salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables soften and turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add smoked paprika and cayenne pepper, stirring to coat vegetables and bloom spices for about 1 minute.
- Add corn kernels with their milk, reserved cobs, and chicken broth. Cover and cook until cobs release some cream, about 5 minutes. Remove and discard cobs.
- Stir in butter, remaining salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Return sausage to skillet and combine all ingredients well.
- Serve Maque Choux warm over cooked white rice or grits.
Notes
- Adjust spiciness by including or omitting serrano chile.
- For vegetarian variation, substitute sausage with plant-based alternative.
- Store leftovers in airtight container in refrigerator up to 3 days.