A quick and easy side dish, this Charred Corn and Pepper Skillet can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. Make it in the oven or completely on the BBQ! A great Summer side dish.
We are finally in to BBQ season here! I love the ease of BBQ dinners. Just throw some meat on the grill and enjoy. Except in real life, it’s not entirely that easy, is it? That piece of meat needs something with it. That’s where this Charred Corn and Pepper Skillet comes in :)
There are a lot of reasons to love this dish …
It’s a great, easy and flavourful side dish for any meat or fish.
It can be cooked in the oven or if it’s too hot to turn on the oven, make it completely on the BBQ!
It’s a great use for corn on the cob that’s a tiny bit past it’s prime. As we’ll be roasting it up, it’s fine to use corn that has dried out a bit.
You can make this with corn cut off the cob or use thawed, frozen corn.
And last, but not least, it’s really, delicious. The corn, red and poblano peppers are roasted to sweet and lightly spicy perfection. On top, a scattering of quick pickled red onions, feta cheese and fresh cilantro add great colour and flavour. There’s also a lovely, tangy Crema, that you can drizzle on to take it up a notch even more.
You could definitely eat this hot out of the oven or off the grill, but I enjoy it most just slightly warm or at room temperature, especially for Summer eating.
Cook’s Notes for Charred Corn and Pepper Skillet
As noted, you could use frozen corn instead of corn cut off the cob for this dish. I would thaw it first, so that it starts cooking more quickly.
The poblano peppers were great in this dish, so I highly recommend seeking some out. Poblano peppers are dark green, about 6-inches long and flat-ish. Poblanos are a mild chili pepper, so you don’t need a lot of heat tolerance to use them :) If you can’t find poblano peppers, you could substitute Aneheim peppers (similar in size, shape and also mild) or jalapeno. If using jalapeno (the spiciest of the choices), you would want to use less of it.
I can’t find Mexican cotija cheese in these parts, but if you can find it, you could use it instead of the feta.
This dish makes a great vegetarian filling for tacos and quesadillas, too!
Too hot to turn on the oven? How to make this on the BBQ!
Heat grill to high (or about 400 F. if your grill has a thermometer). Heat the cast-iron skillet inside a closed grill for 5 minutes, then follow the recipe by roasting inside the closed grill for 15 minutes, stirring once. Allow to cook, stirring on an open grill over flame to char it up a bit. Remove from grill and allow to cool a bit. Top per the recipe and enjoy!
Don’t have a cast-iron skillet yet?
Here’s a great one to get you started. It’s pre-seasoned, the perfect size for so many dishes, not too heavy and great quality. It will last you a lifetime!
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You may also like my Grilled Corn, Tomato and Arugula Salad!
Charred Corn and Pepper Skillet
This Mexican inspired dish featured oven roasted and charred corn with red and poblano peppers. Topped with feta, quick pickled red onions and cilantro. You can make this on the BBQ, too!
Ingredients
- 3 cobs corn kernels cut off (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/2 poblano pepper diced
- 1/2 red sweet pepper diced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pickled Onions:
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar
- 1 Tbsp white sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 red onion sliced
Crema: (Optional)
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
- Juice of 1/4 lime
- Pinch cumin or cayenne (optional)
- Pinch salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve:
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
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Do ahead: Make quick pickled onions by combining all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and set on the counter for at least 1 hour before using. (Do way ahead! Make well ahead, cover and refrigerate. These will keep in the fridge for at least a week!)
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Place skillet in cold oven. Preheat oven to 400 F., leaving the skillet in the preheating oven to heat. Allow skillet to stay in the oven 5-10 after oven is preheated.
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Meanwhile, cut kernels off corn and combine in a bowl with the diced peppers. Drizzle with olive oil and season with a bit of salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir well to combine.
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When skillet is good and hot, carefully remove from oven and add corn mixture. Quickly spread in an even layer and place in oven. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring once half way through. Remove skillet and stir mixture. Turn oven on to broil and place under the broiler (about 6 inches from heat) and allow to broil until corn/peppers begin to char (about 5 minutes, but watch closely so it doesn't burn). Remove from oven and allow to cool to warm.
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To serve, top with crumbled feta cheese, a scattering of pickled onions, chopped cilantro and a drizzle of crema, if desired.
Made this dish with two variations – frozen corn & no cilantro (not a fan!). It certainly was tasty with barbecued pork chops. Doubled the receipe as potatoes weren’t on the menu. The pickled onions & crema (with cumin) & feta were delicious toppings. Definitely worthy of a repeat!
Hi Irene, Sounds yummy! I am not a fan of cilantro either. I always use flat-leafed Italian parsley, instead :) So glad you enjoyed this. I love it as a summer side :)
LOVE. The color on this is perfection. I can’t wait to get my hands on some summer corn.
Thanks so much, Danielle :)
I can’t wait to try this with sweet summer corn – this is a side dish to have on repeat all season long!
Thanks Laura :)
Roasted corn is one of my favorite summer foods ever. I love this skillet, so colorful and loaded with fresh flavors. Very beautiful.
Thanks Milena!
I’ll definitely be trying this Jennifer! I’ll use the cotija cheese. It’s my favorite!
Thanks Mary Ann and jealous! I can find cotija in Toronto, but that’s 2 hours drive away, so doesn’t happen often :)
Definitely going to give this a try this summer. I’m wondering if you could make up the pickled onions in advance, and maybe even make enough for several batches, and keep it on hand in the refrigerator? I also suggest to other readers that while you’re grilling and making creme fraiche, this might pair well with your Grilled Potato Salad with Creme Fraiche Grainy Mustard Dressing (that is an easy to make and unique dish), and maybe your Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Bread (which is the bomb).
Hi AOK! And yes, you can totally make the pickled onions ahead (and make more!). They are actually nicer the longer they sit really. I enjoyed the left-overs from my batch on a burger last night. They had been in the fridge for 36 hours and they were great :) And thanks so much for your other suggestions, too!
Another recipe that is a total keeper. This dish was absolutely delicious. Made this for a group so I doubled the recipe and there was not a drop leftover. Everyone just loved it. The extra effort to put this together is 100% worth it. I made the pickled red onions in advance and also chopped up the red and poblano peppers a couple days earlier and stored in the fridge, so it was faster to put together when I was ready. It is unique and the flavors are perfect together. I made this and your Grilled Potato Salad since I was making creme fraiche and they paired well. Can’t wait to make it again this summer.
So glad you enjoyed this one! It’s one of my favourite summer side dishes :) Thanks!
Jennifer I have made this dish several times and just want to tell you again how much I love this. Every time I make this it ends up devoured by all. I used 11 ears of corn last night with 1 whole poblano and red pepper. It served 8 people (with many going after seconds). My creme fraiche was not cooperating (couple only find ultra pasteurized cream and used some homemade buttermilk, so maybe that was it), so I ended up using sour cream and that worked great. I used a cumin and cayenne mix this time and liked it.
I also made your Grilled Potato Salad and just love these two dishes together. Works great with steak, chicken, brats or whatever.
So glad you are enjoying this skillet! It is a favourite around here, too :) And the potato salad. Thanks!
This is my kind of dish, I’d put an egg on it and call it dinner. And I can sure believe that your cast iron skillet is the most used pan in your kitchen, you’re the cast iron Queen!
Thanks Sue and yes, I’d be lost without my skillet :)
We grill year ’round, but I get super excited when it is officially BBQ season! I love seeing everyone’s recipe ideas and creations! This skillet is EVERYTHING, Jennifer! I’m rather obsessed with all things corn, so this is definitely calling my name! Such a delicious combination, friend! Cheers! :)
Thanks Cheyanne :) I wish we could BBQ year round. Just too much work to shovel the feet of snow of the Q!
Yum! I have a favorite corn dish to go with everything from the grill but I’m happy to have another one. This sounds wonderful!
Thanks Chris and yes, we can never have too many, I figure :)
I doubt that I would find cotija here either, but the feta would be perfect anyway. I LOVE corn and pretty much everything about this recipe. Skillet, peppers, cheese – seriously good. Such a lovely addition to all the summer bbqs I’m going to have. Pinning. Have a wonderful week, Jennifer :)
Thanks so much, Dawn! Have a great week, too :)
I think I’m going to have to double this recipe. Summer sides like this are some of my favorite dishes. Give me a bowl of this with some chopped grilled chicken and I’m a happy girl. Beautiful colors and a great combination of flavors Jennifer. Thanks! Have a terrific week.
Thanks Tricia and yes, perfect with grilled chicken :)