Alert: This is, ahem, a corny story — in the best possible way.
According to a 2024 Food and Wine article, corn has the “most notable surge (or ‘increase in item share’) during the week leading up to July 4” at +380%. Potato salad follows at +177% and baby back ribs at +170%.
While political partisanship might be at an all-time high as the country prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, one thing we can all agree on is that corn deserves pride of place on your July 4 table.
Need inspiration and tips on the perfect way to prepare the veggie? Look no further than these tips from some of Charleston’s best food professionals.
Grilled or poached
Jason Stanhope, a Kansas native who is chef and partner at Sullivan’s Fish Camp, said he grew up learning that it was a blasphemy to put corn in the refrigerator. He grills it or poaches it first, then keeps it simple for serving.
“Usually we just cook the corn, oftentimes we shuck it, grill it or we’ll poach it in any sort of stock that we have around. I specifically love chicken stock that comes from the fridge, it just makes it so savory. We always cut it off the cob because we have young boys, and they love to eat it with rice and beans in a big tab of butter.”
Rubbed, pureed or naked
Jeremy Gozlan, executive chef at Estadio, waxes on about the sweet corn from Ambrose Farms, which he says is about as perfect as summer gets.
He said there were countless ways to prepare corn — by rubbing the ears with oil or dusting them with Tajín. And then there’s grilling corn until lightly charred, finished with cotija cheese and lime zest for an elote that might just transport you to the streets of Morelia.
Here’s another way: “Cut the kernels from the cob and gently simmer them in cream before blending into a purée, the perfect addition to a steak fresh off the grill. If you’re feeling adventurous, save the cobs, smoke them and steep them in a dashi with wakame and bonito flakes for a surprisingly elegant summer soup.”
Gozlan adds, however, that his favorite way to enjoy sweet corn may be the simplest: “If the corn is fresh and the kernels are tender, shuck it, brush away the silk and eat it exactly as it is. No butter. No salt. No embellishment. This is actually how we are serving corn at Estadio right now. Just sweet corn at its peak, crisp, juicy and tasting exactly as nature intended.”
From simple to succotash
Rosebank Farms, located at the entrance to Kiawah River, provides Charleston and the surrounding areas with locally grown produce, fresh local seafood, packaged goods, grab-and-go dishes and seasonal flowers. Owner Sidi Limehouse is a luminary in the Charleston farming and food scene, an expert in local conservation and sustainability initiatives and the region’s first farmer to grow heirloom tomatoes.
Ninety percent of the produce available at the farmstand is grown by Rosebank Farms, and it sources its corn from local farmers for its market. Limehouse keeps it simple and enjoys freshly cooked corn right off the ear after boiling it.
Chef Jonathan Kronsberg of Rosebank Farms gets a little more involved. He favors a seasonal succotash made with sweet corn cut off the cob, Rosebank’s butter beans, Rosebank’s pink-eyed peas, Rosebank’s green beans (Kentucky Wonders or Half Runners), Sidi’s sweet onions and Rosebank’s petite heirloom tomatoes. He dresses the mix with white balsamic vinegar, local honey, black pepper and emulsified basil, and serves it at room temperature.
If this is too much work, Kronsberg recommended a two-minute boil of the shucked corn, bathed in Isigny Sainte-Mere churned butter with Guerande sea salt crystals, both available at the farmstand.
Keep the husk on
Kristy Bialas and Eric Rogers were the husband-wife duo behind baked-goods business Two Fat Cooks. They unofficially took over operations of the Sea Island Farmers Market on Johns Island in 2020. Their trick for cooking corn at home is all about keeping the husk on.
“Cook your corn however you like: grilled, steamed, boiled, roasted — just keep it in the husk. I trim the stalk end a little if it is too long for the pan or grill, but other than that leave it intact. Once cooked, take a sturdy knife, and cut the stalk end of the cob off about one row of kernels in.
“Squeeze the corn out of the husk from the silk end. All of the silk will stay in the husk. Now you have perfectly cleaned corn without any trouble. You may want to use a clean towel or hot pads to handle the hot corn.”
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