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You are here: Home / Side Dishes / Southern Skillet Fried Corn

Southern Skillet Fried Corn

August 3, 2023 by Susanne 25 Comments

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Southern Skillet Fried Corn combines the savory flavor of bacon with the sweet crisp corn to make an easy side dish. This easy delicious side dish is sure to become a new favorite you’ll make again and again!

A cast iron skillet filed with Southern Fried Corn and garnished with scallions.

 

 

Corn is a great side dish anytime of year but in the summer it’s so amazing. Corn right off the cob is crisp, fresh and delicious. Early on when I started blogging I posted a recipe for Southern Style Skillet Corn and it’s been popular for many years. That’s not the only corn recipe I’ve shared over the years one of my all time favorites is Confetti Corn which is a combination of corn, onions and red bell peppers. More recently I shared a recipe for Sautéed Zucchini and Corn. With the combo of fresh zucchini and corn I consider to be the ultimate summer side dish. 

A wooden spoon filled with fried corn rest in a skillet.

How to make Southern Style Fried Corn:

Ingredients: 

  • Corn Kernels (fresh or frozen) 
  • Bacon 
  • Onion 
  • Green Bell Pepper
  • Garlic
  • Cracked Pepper
  • Sugar (optional) 
  • Scallions for garnish (optional) 

Ingredients needed to make this recipes measured and presented on a large cutting board.

Instructions: 

  1. If using frozen corn kernels remove them from the freezer and sit on the counter to thaw. 
  2. Chop the onion, bell pepper and mince the garlic then set them aside.
  3. Chop bacon then cook in a large skillet over medium high heat until crispy.
  4. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. 
  5. Reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease then drain remained grease from pan.
  6. Add the onions and bell peppers to the skillet and and cook until tender and onion is slightly translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, or about one minute. 
  7. Add in the corn and sugar (if using sugar) to the skillet then season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
  8. Cook stirring occasionally until the corn is cooked through about 10 minutes.
  9. Stir the bacon back into the skillet garnish with scallions if desired.

Substitutions and Variations: 

Make it Vegetarian: Leave out the bacon and use Olive Oil or Avocado Oil to sauté the onions, peppers, garlic and corn.

Add Tomatoes: Add fresh diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes. Add the tomatoes when cooking the onions and peppers or leave them raw and add just before serving. 

Bring on the Spice: You can add jalapeños either fresh or pickled to add some heat to this dish. To add jalapeños to the recipe add them in when cooking the onions and peppers.

Garnish for More Flavor: I used scallions, but you can garnish this fried corn with chives, fresh thyme, or even try a little cilantro.   

Skillet Fried Corn in a white serving bowl sitting on a blue and white striped kitchen towel.

Notes and Tips:

To make chopping the bacon easier use your kitchen shears. This is a great time saver.

I do not recommend using canned corn for this recipe. It is not as crisp and some of the texture will be lost in the cooking process.

A cast iron skillet it great for this recipe. Cast iron tends to heat evenly. Because this recipe cooks fast the even dispersement will ensure even cooking.

Fried corn, onions, bell peppers and bacon in a white bowl on a wood cutting board.

Storage: 

Refrigerator: Leftover will remain fresh for three days when kept in an airtight container in the fridge. 

Reheating: Reheat in the microwave in 30 second increments stirring between each until heated through. Or reheat I a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat stirring occasionally until heated though. 

Looking for more side dishes you’re going to love these!

Jalapeño Lime Corn

Southern Style Green Beans

Chopped Salad

Baked Sweet Potatoes

Still hungry? Follow New South Charm on Pinterest! for more recipe ideas!

Skillet Fried Corn in a white serving bowl sitting on a blue and white striped kitchen towel.
5 from 4 votes
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Southern Fried Corn

Southern Fried Corn combines the savory flavor of bacon with the sweet crisp corn to make an easy side dish. This easy delicious side dish is sure to become a new favorite you’ll make again and again!

Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Corn Side Dish, skillet fried corn, Southern Recipe Favorites
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 140 kcal
Susanne Susanne

Ingredients

  • ½ cup onion diced
  • ½ cup green bell pepper diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 5 slices bacon chopped
  • 4 cups corn
  • black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon sugar optioinal

Instructions

  1. Chop the onion, bell pepper and mince the garlic then set them aside.
  2. Chop bacon then cook in a large skillet over medium high heat until crispy.
  3. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  4. Reserve a tablespoon of bacon grease then drain remained grease from pan.
  5. Add the onions and bell peppers to the skillet and and cook until tender and onion is slightly translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, or about one minute.
  6. Add in the corn and sugar (if using sugar) to the skillet then season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
  7. Cook stirring occasionally until the corn is cooked through about 10 minutes.
  8. Stir the bacon back into the skillet garnish with scallions if desired.

Recipe Notes

 

  1. If using frozen corn kernels thaw the corn first. 
  2. I do not recommend using canned corn for this recipe. It is not as crisp and some of the texture will be lost in the cooking process.
  3. Nutritional information is estimated. Amounts will vary based on ingredient choices and serving sizes.

 

Nutrition Facts
Southern Fried Corn
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 140 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Trans Fat 0.02g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 9mg3%
Sodium 93mg4%
Potassium 229mg7%
Carbohydrates 18g6%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 242IU5%
Vitamin C 13mg16%
Calcium 8mg1%
Iron 0.5mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post was originally posted Aug. 7, 2016 and updated with new pictures and information on Aug. 3, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Side Dishes Tagged With: corn, quick and easy, side dish, skillet

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cynthia L

    August 7, 2016 at 10:05 pm

    5 stars
    We are big fans of corn. We get dozens of them with out CSA each summer. I am always on the lookout for great corn recipes. This is one must make!

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 12, 2016 at 2:10 am

      We love corn too! I always try to buy it fresh at the farmer’s market or produce stand. I love to buy fresh veggies and fruit. I wish we were able to buy it all year long.

      Susanne

      Reply
  2. Moncia

    August 8, 2016 at 12:04 pm

    5 stars
    What a wonderful dish! My husband is not a veggie fan but if you put bacon in anything he is there. This is the perfect dish to get hime to like his veggies. Welcome to the Sunday Supper group!!!!

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 12, 2016 at 2:06 am

      I think bacon is the ultimate ingredient. There’s just not too much it doesn’t make better.

      Thanks for stopping by,

      Susanne

      Reply
  3. Cindy

    August 10, 2016 at 2:07 pm

    so easy and delicious!

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 12, 2016 at 2:05 am

      This really is an easy recipe! It has a lot of flavor too!

      Thanks for stopping by,

      Susanne

      Reply
  4. Angie Rose

    August 11, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    This looks beyond delicious! Can’t wait to give it a try 🙂 Thank you so much for linking up with us at Dishing It & Digging It.

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 12, 2016 at 2:05 am

      Thanks Angie! I hope you’ll come back soon!

      Susanne

      Reply
  5. Lauren @ Sew You Think You Can Cook

    August 14, 2016 at 4:29 am

    I always need a good and simple side dish, this one sounds delicious!

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 15, 2016 at 8:09 pm

      We really like it. It’s one of our favorites.

      Thanks for stopping by,

      Susanne

      Reply
  6. Christine

    August 14, 2016 at 9:58 pm

    5 stars
    That looks positively yummy!

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 15, 2016 at 8:08 pm

      Thanks Christine!

      Reply
  7. Miz Helen

    August 15, 2016 at 7:54 pm

    5 stars
    What a great side dish for Sunday Supper, it looks awesome! Hope you are having a fantastic day and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
    Come Back Soon,
    Miz Helen

    Reply
    • Susanne

      August 15, 2016 at 8:03 pm

      Thanks Miz Helen! I love popping over and visiting with you every week!

      Susanne

      Reply
  8. mollie

    August 18, 2016 at 1:13 pm

    Oh gosh, this looks so flavorful! Thanks for sharing with us at Throwback Thursday!

    Mollie

    Reply
  9. swathi

    August 21, 2016 at 5:53 pm

    Delicious corn I can finish the bowl in any time thanks for sharing this wonderful recipes with Hearth and soul blog hop pinning and tweeting.

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Susanne.

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Just a simple girl raised in the South who loves to cook. I've tried recipes for everything from ambrosia to zucchini. My favorite foods are the ones that bring family together. I love to spend time in the kitchen. I'm so excited to share my kitchen with you!

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