Southern Fried Corn Recipe - Delicious Skillet Corn - The Gifted Gabber (2024)

Years ago, my mom introduced me to the most amazing southern fried corn. I’m talking sweet, spicy, delicious easy skillet corn. With fresh corn in abundance this time a year, I thought now was a good time to share her southern fried corn recipe.

Now, y’all know my mama is not southern by birth, but she is southern by transplant. After marrying my dad and moving to the United States from Panama when she was 23, she spent her next years learning to cook the southern cuisine my dad loves.

There are multiple ways you can make the skillet corn. In the recipe card below, I am going to focus on the basic recipe which does not use bacon. If you wish to add bacon to your southern fried corn, you will need to change a few steps early in the recipe. I will explain those here in the text of this post.

Basic Southern Fried Corn

First, you will remove corn from the husks and silk and cut the corn from the cobs. Truly, I am the world’s worst corn husker. Almost always, a few strands of corn silk remain in my corn. I did find this handy guide with three ways to husk corn. Maybe you will find it useful.

I highly recommend using fresh sweet corn for this skillet corn recipe. In a medium skillet, add some butter. I have used both salted and unsalted butter with perfect results. To the skillet, you will add garlic and let that simmer. Add the cut corn to the skillet. To that, add the spices. I usually sautee the corn in the skillet for around 14 minutes, flipping once in the middle.

Now, I don’t call this skillet corn finished until I see some blackened, charred bits on the sides of the some of the corn. Of course, you don’t want it burned. But a few pieces of char makes this southern fried corn even better!

Of the basic version and the skillet corn with bacon, I prefer the basic. But the Hubs prefers the version with bacon, as I’m sure many folks out there do, right?

Skillet Corn with Bacon

For the bacon version, you will want to start by frying up two pieces of bacon in your skillet. While the bacon fries, work with the corn to take from the husks and cut it. After the bacon is fried, remove the bacon and most of the bacon grease, reserving only one tablespoon or so of the grease in the pan. Add butter and garlic to the bit of grease. Pour the corn into the skillet and season. Allow the corn to saute for 7 minutes or so and then flip, cooking another 7 minutes. Just as I mentioned above, wait on the corn to get a few blackened bits.

“This is the best corn I’ve ever eaten,” says the Hubs. Every time.

Speaking of bacon, have you tried my grilled bacon on the George Foreman grill? It is so easy and so good!

I hope you try out this scrumptious southern fried corn recipe! Be sure to check out some of my other favorite summer recipes, like sausage and squash skillet and angel hair pasta salad!

Don’t forget to pin this skillet corn for later!