Bacon Corn Salad
This stovetop summer corn salad may be the most addictive side dish you’ll ever make. Shallots are cooked in bacon fat and butter, with spices, sweet, crisp corn kernels, heavy cream, punchy lemon, and fresh chives to garnish. For health reasons, the serving size is listed at four, but it can definitely serve two because of rich and delicious it is.
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon, chopped
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 5-6 ears corn, kernels removed (or about 3 cups of canned corn, drained)
- ½ c cream
- 1 ½ Tbsp lemon juice, plus 2 tsp zest
- 3 Tbsp chives to garnish
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, add the chopped bacon and about 1/3 cup of water. Bring heat to medium and cook bacon, allowing fat to render for 15-20 minutes, until crispy.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and remove the bacon from the pan, leaving behind only 1 Tbsp of fat. Add the butter and shallots and cook until softened—about 8 minutes.
- Add the spices and cook for one minute, then add the corn and season with salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cream and bacon—cook 12-15 minutes more or until the cream has thickened, then add the lemon zest and juice.
- Serve warm with fresh chives.
Notes
NOTES:
Adding the water to the bacon allows the fat to render out without burning the bacon in the pan. Water can also be added when you’re baking bacon in the oven.
To make cutting bacon easier, freeze for 15 minutes before slicing.
To save time, if you don’t want to render out the fat of the bacon, use chopped, precooked bacon and substitute the rendered fat with an additional 1 Tbsp of butter or olive oil (in total, you should have about 1/2 cup of cooked bacon)
If desired, swap out the bacon for pancetta. If using canned or frozen corn, use about 3 cups.
Adding the water to the bacon allows the fat to render out without burning the bacon in the pan. Water can also be added when you’re baking bacon in the oven.
To make cutting bacon easier, freeze for 15 minutes before slicing.
To save time, if you don’t want to render out the fat of the bacon, use chopped, precooked bacon and substitute the rendered fat with an additional 1 Tbsp of butter or olive oil (in total, you should have about 1/2 cup of cooked bacon)
If desired, swap out the bacon for pancetta. If using canned or frozen corn, use about 3 cups.