Vivian Howard’s Cilantro Lime Sweet Corn

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Spicy, buttery and bright, this is the perfect make-ahead corn dish for summer.

For Mother’s Day, the kids gave me a cookbook that’s been on my wishlist for months: Vivian Howard’s much-acclaimed Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South (Little, Brown and Company, 2016). I don’t know how to articulate my love for this book other than to say that it’s so beautifully written and photographed, even if I never cooked a single recipe from it, I’d still treasure it. Vivian Howard is the owner and chef of Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina and also the creator and star of the PBS documentary and cooking series A Chef’s Life. Her book is so much more than just a collection of recipes — it’s a personal story of Southern cooking filled with warm family anecdotes, tales from the restaurant business, and insight into the food and culture of Eastern North Carolina.

There are a lot of “cheffy” recipes in the book – like Braised Pork Shoulder and Sweet Potato Free-Form Lasagna or Fried Green Tomatoes with Curried Peach Preserves and Whipped Feta — but for every one of those, there’s an equally homey and simple one, like Grandma Hill’s Candied Yams or this cilantro lime sweet corn that my family loves.

What you’ll need To Make Cilantro Lime Sweet Corn

How To Make Cilantro Lime Sweet Corn

A quick note before we get to the step-by-step: this version of the recipe is slightly different than the one in the cookbook. I made a few minor adjustments to simplify it and suit my cooking style, but the essence and taste of the dish are the same.

To begin, remove the kernels from the cobs. The best way to do this is to this (without having corn kernels fly all over the kitchen) is to invert a small bowl inside a larger bowl.

Hold the cob upright on top of the inverted small bowl,  with the flatter end down, and use a sharp knife to slice downward as close to the cob as possible.

Next, combine the corn, 1-1/2 cups water, salt and sugar in a 10-inch skillet or medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes — until the corn is tender-crisp and there are about 2 tablespoons of water left in the pan.

Stir in the butter, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, and cayenne pepper.

Serve warm and enjoy!

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