Maque Choux Recipe
Maque Choux is a classic Cajun recipe of corn and peppers sautéed in bacon grease until softened and spiced with a blend of Cajun seasonings. It’s an outstanding Southern side dish.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Total Time30 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cajun, corn, side dish
Servings: 6
Calories: 150kcal
- 4 ears corn (about 3 cups corn)
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper chopped (medium sized, about 1 cup)
- 1 jalapeno pepper chopped
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasonings
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream or use chicken stock for a more traditional version
- Hot Sauce for serving
Slice the corn kernels from the corn cobs and set them aside into the bowl. Use the dull edge of a knife to scrape the edges of the corn cobs to release their "milk" into the bowl. Set aside.
Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it becomes nice and crispy, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the corn onion, peppers and Cajun seasonings + salt and pepper to taste. Cook until they soften up and start to caramelize, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
Add the chicken stock and simmer for 10-15 minutes. The mixture will thicken nicely with the stock and corn milk.
Add the heavy cream (or extra chicken stock). Let it warm for about 2 minutes, stirring a bit, then remove from heat.
Serve!
Serves 6
Heat Factor: Mild-Medium. This dish is traditionally made with bell peppers. I've added a jalapeno to give it a bit of heat, but the cream really offsets it. If you're looking for a hotter version, go heavy on the Cajun seasonings and introduce a hotter pepper or spicy chili flakes to finish the dish.
The corn milk from the cobs is an important factor in the creamy quality of this dish, but you can use frozen corn instead, and add heavy cream.
Calories: 150kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 119mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1517IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 0.5mg