Pickled sweet corn is a particularly good way to celebrate any time of the year when sweet corn is at the height of its sweetness. In Michigan, the home of the Great Lakes Pickling Company, that’s August to early September.
Pickled corn is a wonderful garnishment on salads, grilled meats, (including burgers), and is great all on its own served with a basket of warm, freshly fried, corn tortilla chips.
There are 2 types of corn that you’ll commonly see pickled, one, is the whole, baby corn that you’ll quite often find canned in the Asian section of your grocery store. The other, is found in the aisle where the pickles are.
This recipe, of course, is for the “grown up” sweet corn variety and is basically a relish.
Now most pickled sweet corn recipes, have you placing freshly shucked corn kernels into a Mason Ball jar, bringing your brine to a boil, then pouring it over the uncooked corn.
That method works fine, and basically cooks the corn as much as is needed to soften its fiber and bring out its flavor as the hot brine cools with the corn.
In the case of the Great Lakes Pickling Pouch we’ll just make a tweak to this method and your results will be equally OUTSTANDING!
You can use ANY of the 6 current pouch flavors but the one we like the best is our latest release, Granny’s Bread & Butter. It’s gently sweet and tangy brine is perfectly suited to match the sweet corn’s flavors.
Here’s how you make it.
Pickled Sweet Corn Medley
Makes about 6 cups
4 ears or 3 Cups Sweet Corn, Shucked and Stripped From the Cob
1/3 cup Red Bell Pepper, Seeded & Diced ¼”
1/3 cup Red Onion, Diced ¼”
½ Medium Jalapeno Pepper, Seeded, Chopped Fine
1/3 cup Cilantro, Chopped
1 Cups Water (or as needed)
3/4 Cup White Vinegar
1/2 Cup Cider Vinegar
For this recipe, you’ll keep all of the spices and seasonings in the pouch and have all the vinegars (the amounts as required on the back of the pouch) measured and standing by.
Place the fresh corn kernels in a medium size sauce pan and add the 1 cup of water.
Over medium-high heat, bring the corn and water to a simmer and immediately remove from the heat.
Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature then strain off all of corn and reserve the “corn water” separately.
Open the pouch, add the 2 vinegars, the strained corn and all of the remaining raw ingredients.
Top off with as much of the corn water as is necessary to JUST cover the corn kernels. If you need additional water, add as necessary. It can be cold water.
Seal the pouch tightly and shake to thoroughly combine the spices, vinegars, corn and the water.
Refrigerate and, following the instructions, shake each day.
Pickled corn is usually at its best after 5 to 7 days but you’re certainly welcome to try it even after 3 days. (We know you’ll be dying to check it out!)
