Roasted Baby Corn with Chili and Lime is a fun and unique vegetarian spring and summer side dish. It bursts with fresh, sweet and spicy flavors, and always draws a crowd.
"Little" means "cute," don't' you think?
Babies, puppies, doll house furniture -- even a teeny tiny pencil can be cute!
The baby corn we're cooking with in this recipe is also cute. 🙂
What is baby corn?
- Baby corn, also known as young corn or cornlets, is corn that's harvested early when it's still very small, before its prime.
- It's very sweet with a slightly more delicate flavor than mature corn.
- Just a few inches long, unlike mature corn, one eats the entire thing -- cob included -- which is just as sweet and tender as the kernels.
- In addition to being roasted, baby corn can also be grilled, stir-fried or steamed. (Grilled baby corn is pictured below, and it's a treat as it gets the added smoky flavor of the char from the grill.)
- Baby corn recipes are quite common in Asian cuisine, especially in stir fries.
What's in this recipe?
Just a few simple ingredients come together to create this beautiful and flavorful dish.
- baby corn
- green onions
- chili paste
- lime juice
- grapeseed oil
- salt, pepper
How to Make it
- Combine all of the ingredients except the salt, pepper and butter.
- Add everything to a foil-lined sheet pan and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Place the pan in a preheated 425°F oven and roast until some of the corn is beginning to brown, about 8 minutes.
- Drizzle with melted butter and serve.
(More detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Recipe Tips and Suggestions
- Feel free to add more or less of the chili paste, depending on the level of heat you like.
- It's nice to add some additional raw, chopped green onions on the dish for garnish, since those that roasted will be a darker green. This brightens up the whole plate.
- If you use canned baby corn, the roasting time will be less -- roast just to brown the corn -- or just put it under the broiler for 30 seconds or so.
- As you can see in the bottom photo, it's pretty to serve this baby corn recipe on the silk from the corn husks.
Can you make this ahead?
Yes. It can be made a day ahead of time and either warmed before serving, or served at room temperature, which is great too.
Serving Suggestions
This roasted baby corn recipe is a great side dish that goes with almost any main course. It's delicious with this grilled steak and this fun chicken noodle recipe.
The above image is grilled baby corn served on the silk from the husks.
Other Uses Baby Corn
- Baby corn is also delicious raw! It's lovely tossed into salads, or served with a tangy dip.
- Adding baby corn to stews, curries and soups is another great idea.
Where to buy fresh baby corn?
- You can easily find canned baby corn in most grocery stores, but if you can get fresh, even better!
- When in season (spring-summer), it's likely you'll see fresh baby corn in Asian markets.
- It's also sold fresh, with the husks already removed at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
- And you can special order it from Melissa's Produce here.
More fresh corn recipes:
- Fire Roasted Corn
- Grilled Corn Ice Cream
- Sheet Pan Chicken with Corn Salsa
- Vegan Creamed Corn with Jalapeños
Roasted Baby Corn with Chili and Lime Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed oil
- 3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice (from about 2 limes)
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 12 ounces baby corn, husks and silk removed
- 1 cup chopped scallions, cut into 1 to 2 inch pieces (from about 4 scallions)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Set oven and prepare pan. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with foil.
- Combine ingredients. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the salt, pepper and butter. Make sure the corn is well coated.
- Roast. Pour everything from the bowl onto the foil-lined sheet pan and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.Place the pan in the preheated 425°F oven and roast just until some of the corn is browning, about 8 minutes.
- Add butter, serve. Remove the pan from the oven and drizzle with the melted butter, and more salt if necessary. Serve!
Notes
angiesrecipes
Those baby corns look so adorable and would make a great side dish for summer parties! Love the chilli and lime flavours.
valentina
Thanks, Angie. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dawn
Baby corn is just so darn cute and tasty! I don't often see the fresh variety around here - I'll have to have a look for it. Love the lime and chili pairing with it! This would be perfect addition to a summer barbecue!
valentina
I hope you come across it, Dawn. Of course, the same flavors are good on regular-sized corn too. 😉 ~Valentina
Marissa
Baby corn really is adorable (I always think of Tom Hanks eating it like a regular corn cob in the movie "Big" lol!). This really is a spring dish I need to try - love the sweet and spicy flavors!
valentina
Marissa, I love that memory and now that's what I'll think every time I have it. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
Cannot agree more - baby corn looks absolutely cute and tastes amazing. You've utilized it perfectly, simple yet lovely flavours!
valentina
Thanks so much, Ben! Enjoy. 🙂 ~Valentina
2pots2cook
Oh boy, could eat up the whole batch myself ! Looove spicy !
valentina
Yay! Enjoy, Davorka. 🙂 ~Valentina
Chef Mimi
Amazing! I never knew you could actually buy baby corn! I’ve only seen them in cans, and never liked the tinny flavor. My next mission is to find these!
valentina
Thanks, Mimi. I hope you find them! (I have this fantasy that with each recipe with an unusual or somewhat hard to find ingredient, that I could attach a bundle of it for every reader.) Would be fun. 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
I've roasted plenty of corn (my favorite way to prepare it), but never baby corn. I have to get with it and do so -- what a fun dish. And so, so attractive. In addition to that cute thing. 🙂 Thanks!
valentina
Many thanks, John. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Linger, Kristy Murray
You've added such great info about baby corn, some things I never knew. So thanks for the tidbits. Also your Roasted Baby Corn recipe looks so yum and perfect for the summer. Can't wait to try it. Thanks so much for sharing.
valentina
Hope you try and love it. Thanks, Kristy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron
This looks very appealing and tasty, now if we only find baby corn. We can't even get decent adult corn over our way. Maybe I'll add all the ingredients and do a Mexican-inspired stirfry using frozen corn. Thanks for the idea...
valentina
I wish I could send you some, Ron. Thanks for visiting and checking out the recipe. 🙂 ~Valentina
David
I love that these baby corns are regularly available at Trader Joe’s! Will definitely make this to go with my Mexican meals!
valentina
Yes! I hadn't seen them there until this year and was so happy. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina