Hey Reader,
Last week, I told you about the new kitchen, the glass stove I'm still making peace with, and the rooftop that makes up for all of it.
This week I want to talk about corn, something I'm cooking on repeat in my new kitchen.
It starts with a trip to Key West — two weeks, four of us, people I loved, the kind of trip that feels like it exists in a separate chapter of life. We rented a convertible and drove down to the Keys from Miami. We ate well. We laughed a lot. Things were different then, in all the ways life tends to rearrange itself when you're not paying attention.
There was a restaurant there called Bien (originally Paseo) that made fire-roasted corn on the cob, and I've never forgotten it. Aioli, smoked paprika, parmesan, and fresh parsley. One of those flavor combinations that quietly changes your expectations forever.
I went home and spent four attempts reverse-engineering the recipe. The result is still one of my most-loved recipes on the blog — and you can bake it, grill it, or boil it depending on what you're working with. All three methods are in the recipe post.
Caribbean-Style Corn on the Cob
Roasted corn on the cob coated with homemade aioli, paprika, Parmesan cheese, and parsley, this Caribbean-style corn will change the way you eat corn forever.
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Key West was a long time ago. A lot has changed — places, people, kitchens.
Here in Hong Kong, without an oven (still — four apartments, not once), I've been cooking corn a completely different way: the water bath. Sous vide corn on the cob is one of those techniques that sounds fussier than it is, and the result is genuinely hard to explain until you try it. Because the corn is sealed in with butter and salt and a sprig of rosemary, if you're feeling it, nothing escapes. No flavor lost to boiling water, no juice evaporating on a hot grill. Just concentrated, in tensely corny corn.
Thirty minutes. Three ingredients. You'll rethink everything.
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Sous Vide Corn on the Cob
Sous vide corn on the cob locks in the corn’s juices, ensuring it arrives on the plate extra-moist, perfectly buttered, and with more intense flavor.
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Once you have sous vide corn on hand, the first thing I'd make is this corn and black bean salad. It's built around those corn kernels — shaved right off the cob — tossed with black beans and dressed with the same garlic lemon aioli from the Caribbean-style recipe. Fresh, bright, and substantial enough to stand on its own. The aioli is the thread that ties it back to where we started.
Corn and Black Bean Salad
Corn and black bean salad tossed in a flavorful homemade garlic lemon aioli. Enjoy a variety of textures, colors, and flavors.
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And if you want to turn it into a full dinner, here is what I'd make to go with it.
It's a sous vide black cod with bacon and sweet corn. The cod comes out silky and delicate in a way that's hard to achieve any other way, and the corn-and-bacon topping makes it feel like a proper restaurant plate. Fresh corn works beautifully here, too — sous vide or otherwise.
No sous vide machine? Pan-fry the cod in a hot skillet with a little oil until golden and cooked through, then pile on the same bacon-and-sweet-corn topping. You'll still get a beautiful dinner.
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Sous Vide Black Cod with Bacon and Sweet Corn
Tender sous vide black cod with crisp bacon and plump corn kernels makes a delightful low-carb dinner that’s nutritious and satisfying.
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That's four recipes that all start with one ear of corn. Not bad for a vegetable that used to make me feel vaguely inconvenienced.
More coming soon. I'm deep in editing right now and honestly can't wait to share what's next.
Cheers,
