Maque Choux Cajun Corn

If you’ve never tried Maque Choux Cajun Corn, you don’t know what you’re missing! Sweet, fresh corn kernels nestled in a creamy combination of onion, celery, bell pepper and cream. Ready in about 30-minutes, this classic Cajun recipe is delicious way to enjoy fresh summer corn!

Maque Choux, pronounced “mock-shoe” is a popular Louisiana corn dish that was introduced to French immigrants by Native Americans. There are several variations of this corn dish, but this simple maque choux recipe focuses on the flavor combination of fresh corn, the Holy Trinity, a few simple spices, and a dash of heavy cream.

Ingredients for Maque Choux Cajun Corn

Simple ingredients and sweet corn are key to this Cajun Maque Choux recipe!

  • Corn – use the freshest, sweetest corn on the cob you can find. You can make this dish with frozen corn, but I highly recommend using sweet summer corn when it’s at its peak season. I do not recommend canned corn for this delicious dish.
  • Holy Trinity – you’ll need chopped onion, chopped green bell pepper and chopped celery
  • Bacon – traditional maque choux recipes use tasso ham, however a few pieces of bacon work just as well
  • Chicken broth – just a few tablespoons of chicken broth or chicken stock to deglaze the pan
  • Seasonings – a little ground thyme, a hint of cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. You could use a prepared Cajun seasoning blend or a Creole seasoning blend, but I found they over-powered the taste of the sweet corn, so I recommend sticking with just a few spices
  • Cream – a slight variation from the traditional version which used corn milk; I found in my recipe testing that the corn didn’t produce enough corn milk, so I substituted it with a little heavy cream

How to make Maque Choux

See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.

Corn and The Holy Trinity in stockpot with wooden spoon.
  • Use a cast iron skillet or heavy-bottom pan
  • Cook bacon a sturdy skillet; remove bacon pieces and set aside to use as a garnish; reserve the bacon grease in the skillet
  • On medium heat, add butter to melted bacon fat; add the corn and chopped vegetables to the skillet and cook 8-10 minutes, until they are tender
  • Season lightly with ground thyme, cayenne pepper, salt and ground black pepper
  • Continue to cook on medium heat, stirring frequently, until the corn mixture begins to thicken (you’ll notice that the sugars and starches from the corn begin to brown slightly and stick to the pan)
  • Add in 3-5 tablespoons of chicken stock to deglaze the pan; scrape up the browned residue with a wooden spoon and keep stirring
  • Reduce the heat to low, stir in the heavy cream and cook for 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings as preferred.
  • Place in large serving bowl and garnish with chopped red bell peppers, crumbled bacon and chives

Recipe Notes

  • You’ll find that really fresh corn will begin to thicken upon cooking. That’s due to the release of sugar and starch during the cooking process. The cream thins the maque choux just a little. If you don’t want to use cream, add a little more chicken broth.
  • The best way to shuck the kernels from the corn is to microwave the corn cobs in their husks, then cut the end of the root off and slide the corn cob out of the husk.
  • Place the cut end on the counter, and use a sharp knife to cut the kernels off

Variations

For a Creole Maque Choux, add diced tomatoes to the mixture when you add the corn.

This Louisiana dish is often served as a side dish, but you can add cooked chicken, shrimp, crabmeat, or andouille sausage for a hearty main dish.

This easy Maque Choux recipe is a perfect side dish with roasted chicken, fish or seafood. You’ll find shrimp and corn maque choux in a lot of Louisiana restaurants. It’s also a good dish to serve at your Mardi Gras party! 

Make ahead and storage

You can make this easy corn maque choux recipe up to 3 days in advance; just store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, for best results, heat it in a large skillet on the stovetop. Freezing is not recommended because the cream changes texture.

Maque Choux in black serving bowl.
Maque Choux in black serving bowl.

Maque Choux Cajun Corn

Sweet corn kernels nestled in the classic Louisiana Holy Trinity with a hint of cream
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Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Cajun, Creole, French-American, Louisiana
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 cups
Author: Anecia Hero

Equipment

  • Heavy -bottom pan or cast iron skillet
  • Wooden spoon

Ingredients 

  • 6 cups fresh corn kernels See recipe notes below
  • ¼ cup chopped celery See recipe notes below
  • ½ cup chopped onion (yellow, sweet yellow or white)
  • ½ cup chopped green bell pepper See recipe notes below
  • 2-3 bacon slices
  • 4 tablespoons butter (½ a stick)
  • 1 teaspoon ground thyme
  • ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper See recipe notes below
  • ¼ cup chicken stock or chicken broth See recipe notes below
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • salt and black pepper to taste
  • Garnish: optional – chopped red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, crumbled bacon, chives

Instructions 

  • Shuck the corn kernels from the corn cobs and place in a large bowl; set aside (Read the recipe notes below about the easiest way to shuck corn)
    6 cups fresh corn kernels
  • Chop vegetables into very small pieces; set aside
    ¼ cup chopped celery, ½ cup chopped onion, ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
  • In a large skillet or Dutch oven on medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp; remove cooked bacon and reserve for garnish; leave the bacon grease in the pan
    2-3 bacon slices
  • Add butter to bacon grease; once butter is melted, add in chopped onion, bell pepper and celery; cook 5-minutes, until the vegetables are tender
    4 tablespoons butter (½ a stick)
  • Add corn kernels to skillet and combine well; add thyme and cayenne pepper; cook until the mixture begins to thicken (about 10 minutes) stirring constantly
    Note: if you're adding diced tomatoes, add them now when you add the corn
    1 teaspoon ground thyme, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • At this point, you will begin to see the pan beginning to brown in the bottom; this is a good thing. Deglaze the pan by adding in a little chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon; reduce heat to medium, stir in heavy cream and taste for salt and pepper; cook for about 5 more minutes
    ¼ cup chicken stock or chicken broth, ¼ cup heavy cream, salt and black pepper to taste
  • Plate and garnish with chopped red bell peppers or diced tomatoes and crumbled bacon
    Garnish: optional – chopped red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, crumbled bacon, chives

Notes

Yield – The full recipe yields a total of 6 cups; if you serve 1/2 cup per person, you’ll get 12 servings. The nutritional value is based on a 1-cup serving per person.
Corn – I found most corn cobs yield between 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup of kernels. For the full recipe, you’ll need about 12 corn cobs to get 6 cups of kernels.
Easiest way to shuck corn – place the corn cob in its husk in the microwave and cook on high 4-minutes per corn cob. Remove and allow to cool slightly; cut the root end off the cob, then push the corn cob out of the husk from the other end. This helps eliminate the corn silk.
Onion, celery bell pepper – chop these into very small pieces; you don’t want the pieces to be much bigger than the corn kernel
Bell pepper – I use green, but you can use red if you prefer
Cayenne pepper – add more if you like spicy; less if you prefer mild
Chicken stock – if you don’t have chicken stock or chicken broth, use a little water to deglaze the pan

Nutrition Estimate

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 7gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 152mgPotassium: 485mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 794IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
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