Description
Miso Butter Corn is a flavorful Japanese-inspired side dish featuring sweet corn sautéed with crispy streaky bacon, garlic, and a luscious miso-infused butter sauce. This dish balances savory umami notes from white miso and sake with the natural sweetness of corn, making it an irresistible accompaniment to your meals or a unique filling for tacos.
Ingredients
Scale
Miso Butter
- 30g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 tbsp white miso (shiro miso)
Corn
- 200g / 7oz streaky bacon, chopped into 1cm / 1/2” pieces
- 3 cups corn kernels, preferably freshly cut from 3–4 corn cobs (or frozen thawed)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 2 tbsp cooking sake (optional, substitute mirin or dry sherry)
- 1/8 tsp white pepper (substitute black pepper)
- 1 cup green onion, cut into 0.5cm / 0.2” slices
Instructions
- Prepare Miso Butter: In a small bowl, combine the softened butter and white miso until fully blended to create the miso butter.
- Cook Bacon: Place the chopped bacon in a large non-stick pan while it is still unheated. Turn the heat to medium-high; as the pan heats, the bacon fat will render and cook the bacon in its own fat. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the bacon pieces are golden and crispy, then transfer them to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon, reserving the bacon fat in the pan.
- Sauté Corn: Check the pan for bacon fat, adding butter if necessary to total about 1 tablespoon. Keep the heat at medium-high. Add the corn kernels to the pan and cook, stirring only occasionally (about every minute) to allow the corn to develop golden spots. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until the corn is tender and sweet.
- Add Garlic and Sake: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the sake to deglaze the pan and stir until the liquid has evaporated, about 15 seconds.
- Melt Miso Butter & Combine: Turn off the stove and immediately add the miso butter, stirring until it melts and coats the corn evenly. Add the white pepper, cooked bacon, and sliced green onions. Toss the mixture well until everything is evenly coated with the miso butter sauce.
- Serve: Serve warm as a delicious side dish or in creative ways such as in a corn taco topped with a fried egg and avocado for an indulgent treat.
Notes
- Use white miso (shiro miso) for a mild flavor; red miso can be used but reduce quantity slightly due to its stronger taste.
- Fresh corn is preferred for a dry texture that sautés well; frozen thawed corn is acceptable but may require additional cooking time. Canned corn is less ideal because of its moisture content.
- Cooking sake adds authentic umami and helps deglaze the pan. Substitutes include mirin, dry sherry, Chinese cooking wine, or water.
- This recipe is adapted from David Chang’s popular Roasted Summer Corn with Miso Butter, with adjustments to reduce saltiness and omit chicken stock.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and freeze well for future use.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: miso butter corn, Japanese side dish, sautéed corn, miso recipe, bacon and corn, umami corn, summer side dish, corn taco filling
