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Pan-Seared Corn With or Without Pork

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Makes 4 servings 1x

Time 30 minutes

In How to Cook Everything Fast, recipe directions are separated into “prep” and “cook.” Here, we’ve made that distinction with italics for prep-work and plain text for cooking. This reflects the most efficient order and timing of tasks.

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound ground pork
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 large ears fresh corn
  • 1 fresh hot green chile (like jalapeño), or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 lime
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro (optional)

Instructions

  1. Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the pork to the skillet, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring once or twice, until the pork is brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. (If you’re not ready to proceed to Step 3 before the pork is ready, turn the heat under the pork to low.)
  3. Husk the corn and cut the kernels off the cobs. (If using frozen, no need to thaw it.)
    Trim and chop the chile.
  4. When the pork has browned, transfer it to a bowl with a slotted spoon; sprinkle it with the chili powder and toss. Spoon off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the skillet, add the corn and chile to the pan, return it to medium-high heat, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  5. Cook, shaking the pan occasionally and keeping the corn in as much of a single layer as possible, until the kernels are well browned on at least one side, 5 to 10 minutes.
  6. Halve the lime.
    If you’re using cilantro, chop 1/2 cup leaves and tender stems.
  7. When the corn is ready, return the pork to the skillet and cook, stirring a couple times until it heats through, 1 or 2 minutes more. Squeeze the lime juice over the top, garnish with the cilantro if you like, and serve.

— Recipe from How to Cook Everything Fast