Seven ingredients and fifteen minutes, with fresh or frozen corn.
Nothing here is browned. The kernels are cooked through in butter and glazed at the end, so they stay yellow and glossy.
Why This Recipe Works
- A wide skillet gives the kernels room to heat evenly without steaming in a heap.
- Medium heat cooks them tender before they have a chance to char.
- Honey added only at the end glazes the corn without catching on the pan.
- Red pepper flakes balance the sweetness with a little warmth.
- Parsley folded in off the heat stays bright green.
Ingredient Notes
- Corn kernels, fresh or frozen
- Five cups. Frozen works straight from the bag; fresh gives a little more bite.
- Butter and honey
- Three tablespoons and a tablespoon and a half. The honey goes in last so it glazes rather than scorches.
- Red pepper flakes
- A quarter teaspoon. These are the red flecks through the finished corn.
How to Make It
Butter melted in a wide skillet
Melt butter in a wide skillet over medium heat.
Corn cooked five to seven minutes until tender, not charred
Add corn and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until hot and tender but not charred.
Honey, salt, pepper and chilli flakes stirred in until glossy
Stir in honey, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute until the kernels are glossy.
Off the heat, parsley folded in
Remove from heat and fold in parsley.
Four Additions in Fifteen Minutes
The kernels should be yellow, glossy and completely unbrowned - no char anywhere. The recipe protects that in a single phrase: cook UNTIL HOT AND TENDER BUT NOT CHARRED. Everything below is timed around keeping the corn that colour.
First
3 tbsp UNSALTED BUTTER in a wide skillet over medium heat
Wide, so the kernels spread out rather than pile up and steam. Medium, because this is not a searing recipe. The dish is COOKED IN A SKILLET EVEN THOUGH IT MAY BE SERVED FROM ANOTHER SHALLOW DISH.
5 to 7 minutes
5 cups of CORN KERNELS, fresh or frozen
COOKED, STIRRING, UNTIL HOT AND TENDER BUT NOT CHARRED. Stirring keeps every kernel moving through the butter so none sits long enough on the hot metal to brown.
The last minute
1 1/2 tbsp HONEY, 1/2 tsp FINE SALT, 1/4 tsp BLACK PEPPER and 1/4 tsp RED PEPPER FLAKES
COOKED 1 MINUTE UNTIL THE KERNELS ARE GLOSSY. The honey is held back until now because sugar in a hot pan catches fast. The red flecks are RED PEPPER FLAKES.
Off the heat
2 tbsp CHOPPED PARSLEY
FOLDED IN once the pan is off, so it stays green. Nothing else joins it: NO CHEESE, ONION OR PEPPERS.
Success Tips
- Keep the heat at medium — you want tender kernels, not charred ones.
- Stir often so the corn heats evenly in the butter.
- Add the parsley only once the pan is off the heat.
Serving Ideas
Six side servings of glossy buttered corn kernels glazed with honey and flecked with red pepper flakes, black pepper and chopped parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should the corn get some char?
No. It is cooked until hot and tender but not charred, which keeps the kernels bright yellow and glossy.
What are the red flecks?
Red pepper flakes — a quarter teaspoon, stirred in with the honey for a gentle warmth against the sweetness.
Can I use frozen corn?
Yes. Add it straight to the melted butter; it cooks in the same five to seven minutes.
