A Maize ‘n’ Salsa

Let’s grab some fresh produce: a few ears of corn, some chiles, and fix us a pickled corn A Maize ‘n’ Salsa. Come taste the flavors of Mexico from the state of Sonora. You can use raw or cooked corn niblets. For a quick spice blend, find a mild chile powder; not the standard stuff. I like to peruse the penzeys.com spice catalog and find something special, like Arizona Dreaming, a blend of chiles, cocoa, and citrus notes. Corn along with other grains have a shorter pickle life than lacto-fermented vegetables. Plan on pickling and serving within a couple weeks span—as grains will make the brine more sour sooner.

The recipe makes 1 quart.

– Recipe by Bill Hettig

Ingredients for A Maize ‘n’ Salsa:

• 1 pound of corn niblets (4-5 medium ears) or frozen corn niblets, thawed.
• 1 cup of scallions.  Dice them small, with the white and green potions.
• ⅓ cup of jalapeño chiles (2-4), with some seeds and rib removed, diced small.
• ⅓ cup of dried tomato halves, diced small.
• 1 teaspoon of grated lime zest.
• 2 tablespoons of lime juice.
• 4-6 teaspoons of chili powder (to taste).
• 2 tablespoons of aged brine, from prior batch of fermented veggies.
• 1 tablespoon of Celtic Sea Salt or other premium brand for additional brine.

After four day fermentation:

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
• 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped.
• 2 teaspoons of honey or sugar. (optional)
• Pepper, fresh ground.
• Hot sauce served at the table.

Directions for A Maize ‘n’ Salsa:

1. In a large bowl combine the corn niblets, scallions, jalapeños, and tomatoes. Toss with lime zest, lime juice, and chile powder.
2. In a clean 1 quart jar, pack the mixture until about 2 inches from the jar lip.
3. Make your salt water brine solution. To do this, dissolve salt in filtered water at a ratio of 1 tablespoon of salt to 2 cups of water for this one quart batch.  Make sure to include your 2 tablespoons of aged brine in this.
4. Fill your two quart jar with this brine solution until about one inch from the jar lip.
5. Use some sort of weighty object to hold the A Maize ‘n’ Salsa under the brine solution. Be sure to place the jar in your sink as you do this as there is sure to be spillage. We sell our brine overflow cup as a weight here: Brine “Catch” Cup – Wide Mouth
6. Remove the cup and wipe any debris on the lip of the cup and the jar, then put the cup back in. Install a Lid Gasket inside a Wide Mouth Fermenter Lid. Tighten the lid on until its snug.
7. Add tap water to a ClearView Airlock to the max line. Now gently insert the airlock into the hole of the fermenter lid until snug. Make sure not to push too deeply into the lid. As the fermentation happens, the water should move back and forth, and bubbles should move through the airlock, this is correct and indicates a tight seal.
8. Write down the date you began fermentation on the lid using a Lid Marking Pen. After 4 days, check to see if the A Maize ‘n’ Salsa is sour enough for you. If it is not, just add a day and re-check.
9. Add your after fermentation ingredients, and serve!

For even better and more delectable recipes, check out our Fermentation Recipe Booklet, where you will find many recipes, tips and tricks to brine pickling, and so much more!