Charred Corn Soup! Get the klieg lights, roll out the red carpet ‘cuz corn has arrived in Hollywood and this fan has big plans. It may take a while longer in Los Angeles than other parts of the continent for the really good corn to arrive. I don’t know why that is. We in Southern California have grown spoiled by the availability of spectacular produce all year long. Corn is an exception. The early corn is usually shipped in from other places and lacks a certain corniness I can’t quite define. So when the first of the local summer corn starts to make its annual appearance I have one motto: Eat Corn Now!
And it did not take a lot of effort on my part to decide to do a summer corn soup – an unusual Charred Corn Soup topped with a crisp corn tostada round for added corn crunch.
This Charred Corn Soup has an unusual sweet secret ingredient in it. It’s an idea I stole from Yotam Ottolenghi and it makes perfect sense. Especially here in Los Angeles where the best corn comes in that shoulder period between the end of summer and the beginning of winter squash season. You see the secret ingredient is a hint of sweet and savory pumpkin. Still, it’s a very corn-centric soup and I have made every effort I could to keep the corn front and center here. But don’t worry this isn’t one of those overly sweet corn soups. This soup is a burnt corn soup!
Which may seem odd. But don’t recoil automatically. A slight char brings a subtle bitter element to this soup. Which adds depth to the naturally occurring sugars in the corn and pumpkin. Making it a very sophisticated soup.
Besides, mastering a controlled char on all sorts of food is the sign of a good cook. Food52 wisely lists the competent use of high heat as number 23 in their list of “30 Qualities of a Good Home Cook”. GREG
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 ears fresh corn (kernels removed)
- 5 clove garlic (peeled and minced)
- 3 stalks celery (small diced)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- kosher salt (as needed)
- 2 cup small diced peeled pumpkin (or other orange-fleshed winter squash)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoon fresh lime zest
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (or to taste)
- 4 cup water (or more as needed)
- 8 ounce sour cream (or more as needed, divided)
- lime wedges (as needed)
- 6–8 crisp tostada rounds (or tortilla chips)
- crumbled cotija cheese (as needed)
- fresh cilantro (as needed)
Directions
Melt the butter in a large non-stick skillet (at least 12 inches) over medium-high heat, add the corn kernels, toss and let it sit in as close to a single layer as possible until lightly charred, about 6 minutes, mix it up and let it char again about 6 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. If you do not have a large enough skillet work in batches.
Heat the oil in a medium soup pot, add onion, garlic, celery, ground cumin, ground coriander, and a little salt, and sauté stirring often on low heat for 12 minutes, to soften the vegetables.
Add the pumpkin, bay leaves, lime zest, chipotle chile powder, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the pumpkin is soft. Add the charred corn and cook for five minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to lift out about half of the vegetables, and remove and discard the bay leaves. Blitz the remaining soup until smooth, then return the vegetables to the pot and bring to a light simmer. Add a little more water if you find it too thick. Stir in half the sour cream and taste for seasoning.
Divide the soup into six bowls, squeeze the juice of half a lime into each portion, lay a crisp tostada round on top, and drop about a tablespoonful of sour cream in the middle. Garnish with plenty of crumbled cotija cheese and cilantro. Serve with additional lime wedges on the side.
I was just looking for an inspiring soup and this is it. I know corn season is over, but there are a few places still selling corn on the cob. Looking forward to making this.
Your soup sounds so interesting and different from any corn soup I’ve tried. I’ve pinned and will see if our market still has any fresh corn.
Corn and squash, what a great combo, especially in a soup. Ever since I came to this country I have enjoyed eating corn, what a treat.
Fresh sweet corn is one of my favorite summer foods! Charred and mixed with spices and squash sounds fabulous!
What a wonderful soup! Charred corn and pumpkin? Perfect combo! Very clever recipe — thanks.
Fabulous. I looked at the list, and it all makes sense to me. Food and cooking is so much about passion and love and sharing. But I have a problem with 24. Why do we have to squeeze lemon juice over everything???
Sounds delightful, looks amazing. Gotta try this one tonight, G! xo
I am a good Illinois girl who loves corn. However I’ve been a Colorado girl for over thirty years and I must say that this year was an awful year for corn. I think it got too hot too fast. In any case I have no doubt I would love this soup but first I better read about mastering high heat!
As soon as Ontario corn begins to make its way to the markets, I start buying and grilling. This year, I couldn’t wait to get into my stash so there is not much left which means I’ll have to get more before we run out! The soup looks wonderful, charred corn is literally one of my favourites. Garnishing with the corn tostada is a great idea. Recently, I remade a dish of seared scallops in a bed of creamed charred corn and it was wonderful, we first had it in Almeria in Spain a couple of years ago.
There are so many ways I love corn… and charred on the grill is one of them. And how brilliant to use it in a soup. Sadly, our corn season has passed so this is being saved for the future. (Unless you want to ship me some?)
I won’t take our all-summer-long great corn for granted again. I already love this soup and I haven’t even tried it yet–the ingredients list is singing to me!
Another beautiful recipe. This one looks amazing. I love corn — especially charred, and when you add all of these other delicious flavors, I’m all over it!