While I was in New Orleans one of the dishes that really stood out for me was a crab cake in a maque choux. Maque choux is a dish native to southern Louisiana consisting of corn, bell peppers, tomatoes and onions that is braised until the vegetables are nice and tender. Many maque choux recipes are pretty simple but it is surprisingly good, especially when you use ripe in season corn from the cob and tomatoes. Since both the corn and the tomatoes were in season when I got back the maque choux was one of the first dishes that I tried making at home from my trip to New Orleans and I have already made it several times!
One of the key pieces to the maque choux is its creaminess which can be obtained by using things like butter, cream or even bacon grease but the best source of the creaminess is the corn itself. When cutting the corn from the cob, only cut two thirds of the way through the corn kernels and then use the back of your knife to scrape the remainder off and it will form a nice and creamy ‘corn milk’.
Maque choux is generally served as a side but it could definitely be used as the base for a main. I know I certainly enjoy eating it by itself by the spoonful and it goes great topped with a bit of crumbled feta but I was also thinking that a shrimp maque choux would make for a great light meal. I would replace half of the cream in the recipe a tasty shrimp stock and then add shrimp near the end of cooking in this version. Other common additions to maque choux are bacon, andouille sausage, tasso or even ham, each of which would add a ton of flavour!
Maque Choux
A creamy corn dish from southern Louisiana.
ingredients
- 3 ears of corn
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil or bacon grease
- 1/2 cup onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup celery, finely diced
- 1/4 cup bell pepper, finely diced
- 1 cup tomato, finely diced
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cut the corn kernels from the cob but only cut into them about 2/3 of the way and set aside.
- Scrape the remaining 1/3 of the corn kernels off in a large bowl and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and saute until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the corn, tomatoes, cream and thyme and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10-15 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to puree 1/4 of the corn mixture.
- Mix in the green onions, season with salt, pepper and cayenne to taste.
Anonymous says
September 29, 2011 at 1:04 amI love maque choux. I've never tried to make it. Maybe this is the sign that I should do that soon.
Chris says
September 29, 2011 at 1:56 amMaque choux is one of my favorite NOLA side dishes ever. A cajun friend gave me her recipe before I ever started my food blog and I was in love.
Helen in HOuston says
September 29, 2011 at 7:09 amI have lived in the South most of my life and have never heard of this dish. My mother gave me a recipe for "Fried Corn" so called only because it was prepared in an iron skillet on the cooktop with bacon grease, butter, and cream — then placed in the oven to brown. Now, all I have to do is add onion, celery, bell pepper, tomato, thyme, and cayenne pepper. I'm looking forward to making it. Gotta be good because of the wonderful ingredients. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Chiara "Kika" Assi says
September 29, 2011 at 10:21 amMaque chaux is one of my favorite side dishes… it brings together everything I love in a side dish!
Joanne says
September 29, 2011 at 10:52 amHonestly I've heard of maque choux before but never really knew exactly what it was. Looks delicious! I'm pleasantly surprised!
Matt @ FaveDiets says
September 30, 2011 at 1:48 pmThanks for posting this recipe. I had Maque Choux at my first meal in New Orleans and loved it. I will definitely have to save this one for later.
Lucy says
September 30, 2011 at 5:54 pmI've not heard of maque choux before but it looks delicious. Love all the different flavours involved and its creaminess!
Anonymous says
July 26, 2012 at 12:25 pmI brown Cajun seasoned chicken thighs and smoked sausage in an iron pot first -remove and set aside
Proceed with Maque Shoe
Return meat to Iron-Lodge Dutch Oven with water , cover and simmer until tender
Good stove top one dish meal
Anonymous says
February 27, 2014 at 2:34 pmWould it be okay to use frozen corn for this since corn is not in season?
Bridget says
March 4, 2014 at 4:03 pmThis looks amazing! Cant wait for summer to use my garden grown tomatoes and corn!