Corn Maque choux is a Cajun dish and one that my whole family has loved for a long time. I don’t make it with Crawfish/Crayfish - I make a vegetarian version. It’s spicy, creamy, buttery, delicious and no doubt particularly bad for you. So if you are watching your waist line you might want to stop reading this.

When we lived in Christchurch one of my favourite restaurants there was a little place called Zydeco Cafe. A Cajun/Creole restaurant with the worst carpet I have ever seen in my life - it looked like fake wood. Purple paint, a stuffed alligator on the wall and a piano accordion collection. Their food was my first experience of this type of cusine and I absolutely loved it. I understand Zydeco Cafe  is still there, bigger and better than ever.

Anyway, my pleasant memories of Zydeco Cafe prompted me to try out all kinds of Cajun and Creole dishes, which is why this Kiwi is posting a recipe that has it’s origins far from here. Corn Maque choux is a dish from southern Louisiana, and after reading around there seem to be a lot of different versions out there, with a few basic ingredients the same. I’d be interested to know if any of you have eaten this or make this at home?

Oh and if anyone would like to buy me a plane ticket to Louisiana so I can just check to see how they make corn Maque choux, that would be lovely. Thanks.

Corn Maque choux

This is normally served as a side dish with something like shrimp or crawfish. However this recipe makes enough to have it on it’s own with some bread so you can mop up the last few creamy morsels. This recipe serves 6.

• 6 ears of fresh corn - kernels cut off and juice reserved.
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 1 green pepper chopped
• 1 stick of celery chopped (optional)
• 1 large Spanish onion chopped  or 1 1/2 cup of chopped green onions.
• 2 cans of creamed corn
• 4 medium tomatoes chopped
• 6 cloves to one head of garlic finely chopped (to personal taste)
• 100 grams/4 oz butter
• Cajun spices to taste
• hot sauce to taste
• 1 Tblspn Worcestershire sauce
• 300 mls/ 1/2 pint of cream
• additional milk or water if wished
• salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Put the garlic, onions, peppers and celery into the pan and sauté over medium to low heat for a few minutes until the onions are transparent.

Add in the fresh corn and juice from the cobs, creamed corn, cream, spices, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and a little additional milk or water if needed.

Cook, simmering for about 10 minutes. Add in the tomatoes and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Serve into bowls with accompanying Zydeco music.

Tonight, needing a very quick meal, I turned to one of my childhood favourites, knowing that I could have it on the table in about 15 minutes time.

My mother used to make us corn fritters from time to time, and we loved them. I still enjoy them as a light vegetarian meal, or with the addition of salmon or tuna. Other vegetables are easily added or disguised (if you have children that will not eat certain things) for additional nutritional value. My oldest son has been convinced that kumara is carrot on many occasions in these little fritters. Sorry darling!

Perfect teamed up with a spicy salsa or a sweet chilli sauce, they are fast to make and also very economical. There’s always a can of creamed corn in the pantry so they can be made on short order. They reheat well the next day if there are any left.

Corn Fritters

Heat up your frying pan or hot plate while you make the batter, you can have this all done very quickly and on the table. Make the salsa while the fritters are cooking. I like to serve this with a garden salad, fat potato wedges and sour cream.

• 1 can of creamed corn
• additional whole kernel corn if you wish, frozen canned or fresh
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1/2 tspn baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tblspns melted butter
• 1 green onion finely chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Place everything in a medium sized bowl and stir until just mixed.

Drop in large spoonfuls on a hot plate or into a frying pan that has a small amount of oil in it (just to stop them sticking)

When they start to look cooked around the edges and the underside is golden, turn carefully with a spatula and cook the other side ( 3-4 minutes)

While the fritters are cooking, make the salsa.

-serves 4

Confetti Salsa

• half a large red onion finely chopped
• two ripe tomatoes diced
• half a cup of whole kernels of corn (fresh is best)
• 1-2 tspns of hot sauce or fresh chilli to taste
• squeeze of lime juice
• finely snipped chives

Mix these all together and check for seasoning - add salt if you wish. Leave at room temperature until ready to serve, for up to 30 minutes.