Grilled Corn with Pepperoncini Butter

Name: Grilled Corn with Pepperoncini Butter
Prep time: PT0D0H0M
Cook time: PT0D0H20M
Total time: PT0D0H20M
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter; 4 garlic cloves, finely grated; ½ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini; 1 Tbsp. pepperoncini pickling liquid; 1 tsp. kosher salt; ¼ tsp. ground white pepper; 4 ears corn (about 1 lb.), husked, each ear cut into 2–3 equal pieces; ¼ cup vegetable oil; 1 tsp. kosher salt

Your favorite summer side just got a hot, vinegary kick.

Serves
4
Time
20 minutes

CHRIS BERNABEO (COURTESY CLARKSON POTTER)

By Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson

Published on July 31, 2024

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At their Los Angeles restaurants Kismet and Kismet Rotisserie, chefs Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson offer great homestyle cooking but aren’t afraid to jazz up their menu with bold flavors and unexpected ingredients, what they call “untraditional food that understands tradition.” This dish from their debut cookbook, Kismet: Bright, Fresh, and Vegetable-Loving Recipes, honors that philosophy, upgrading grilled corn with a tangy butter sauce brimming with thinly sliced pickled pepperoncini.

Kramer and Hymanson prefer cutting their corn into smaller pieces, but you can keep your ears whole, or even cut the kernels from the cobs and toss with the pepperoncini butter for a warm salad. The authors also recommend using whole jarred pepperoncini and slicing them at home, to ensure that slices are thin enough to stick to the corn.

Adapted from Kismet: Bright, Fresh, and Vegetable-Loving Recipes © 2024 by Sara Kramer and Sarah Hymanson. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Chris Bernabeo. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.

Featured in “This New Cookbook Proves California Cuisine is Impossible to Pin Down” by Jessica Carbone.

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Ingredients

For the pepperoncini butter:

8 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ cup thinly sliced pepperoncini
1 Tbsp. pepperoncini pickling liquid
1 tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. ground white pepper

For the corn:

4 ears corn (about 1 lb.), husked, each ear cut into 2–3 equal pieces
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. kosher salt

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Instructions

Step 1

Make the pepperoncini butter: To a small pot over medium heat, add the butter and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted and golden brown and the garlic smells toasted, 5–8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pepperoncini, pickling liquid, salt, and white pepper, then set aside.

Step 2

Grill the corn: Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the corn with the oil to coat, then sprinkle with the salt. Grill the corn, turning frequently with tongs, until lightly charred on all sides, 8–12 minutes total.

Step 3

Transfer the grilled corn to a platter, spoon the pepperoncini butter over the top, and serve.

Make the pepperoncini butter: To a small pot over medium heat, add the butter and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is fully melted and golden brown and the garlic smells toasted, 5–8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the pepperoncini, pickling liquid, salt, and white pepper, then set aside.
Grill the corn: Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high. In a large bowl, toss the corn with the oil to coat, then sprinkle with the salt. Grill the corn, turning frequently with tongs, until lightly charred on all sides, 8–12 minutes total.
Transfer the grilled corn to a platter, spoon the pepperoncini butter over the top, and serve.