Long before the French Acadians landed, Indian tribes dotted the Louisiana coast and plains. They impacted the food culture with a variety of ingredients and dishes that are mainstays of every Acadiana table. One dish – corn maque choux – is at the top of that list. Every good Cajun and Creole cook has their menu variation, and they are all good.
Spicy and smoky, this Corn Maque Choux features Louisiana shrimp. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Over the years, the basic corn maque choux recipe has been infused with all sorts of added ingredients – shrimp, crab, and crawfish being the most common. In some pots, tasso and other sausages are used to punch up the spice level, and some look for the smooth texture that only sweet cream can bring. The versions are endless.
Not to be outdone, I am adding my take on maque choux with sweet South Louisiana shrimp. This recipe is simple, but the textures and flavors in this dish range in complexity. The one key is to use seasonally fresh ingredients – Louisiana shrimp, sweet corn off the cob, pure farm-fresh cream, and quality butter.
- 6 ears of fresh yellow corn, husks and silk removed or frozen yellow corn kernels
- ½ stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup green bell pepper
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (10-ounce) can mild diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained, such as Rotel
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons clam juice
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 pound small raw peeled Louisiana shrimp
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- ½ cup chopped chives
- Using a sharp knife, slice the corn kernels off the cobs shaving as close to the cob as possible. Once the corn is off, take the back of the knife and pull across the cob releasing the corn “milk”. Place the corn and any liquid in a bowl.
- In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter along with the onion, celery and bell peppers sautéing until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic along with the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the cream and clam juice and turn the heat to medium. Add the paprika, cayenne, Cajun seasoning and white pepper. Add the shrimp. Stir as the cream reduces, the mixture thickens to a sauce consistency and the shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper along with a dash of hot sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives. Turn off the heat and keep warm until serving.
Your guests will love this classic Cajun side dish.
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