For the first couple of weeks of corn season, my family is content to eat plain old corn on the cob day after day.
For the first couple of weeks of corn season, my family is content to eat plain old corn on the cob day after day.
And why not? It’s perfect as is.
But even perfection gets boring after a while, which is why I tend to fancy up our corn-centric preparations as we get deeper into the season.
In this case, I dreamed up a large, family-style, open-faced dinner omelet. I was inspired by my own dear son, Sam, who likes to toss leftover corn into his morning omelet.
Before you dive into the recipe, let’s spend a minute making sure you’re cooking with the best corn.
If possible, you want not only to buy it from a farm stand or farmers market, but to do so in the morning. Presumably, the farmer will have picked it earlier that day, which allows you to take it home, store it in the fridge, and cook it that evening.
The idea is to slow down the relentless conversion of the corn’s sugar to starch, which begins the minute an ear is plucked off a stalk and accelerates if the corn is then left in a warm place, including in a bin at the farm stand or on a shelf in your garage.
How will you know if an ear is fully ripened?
By figuring out if it’s covered with kernels from stem to stern, a fact you can ascertain by feeling it from the outside. If it feels skinny at the top, put it back in the bin.
Now that you’ve carried your prize home, it’s time to cut the corn off the cob.
My favorite way is to peel off the husk, leaving on the stem, then to stand the ear on its stem on a large piece of kitchen parchment and cut straight down the sides. Chef Joey Altman, a pal of mine from the San Francisco area, prefers to lay the ear on its side before cutting. I will admit his method prevents the kernels from flying off wildly, but I still prefer mine, which allows me to see what I’m doing more clearly and allows for better control.
Summer also happens to be high season for everyone’s notoriously fertile zucchini, which likely already have overrun the garden and now are threatening to crawl into the house. This recipe will put a dent in them, too. You’re going to grate and salt them to rid them of excess water and concentrate their flavor. Then, you’ll add them to your omelet, along with caramelized onion, to make the finished product moist but not watery. (I often use shredded zucchini as my secret moisture weapon.)
What turns this omelet into a dish fit for din-din?
Smoked salmon and a lemon cream made with Greek yogurt, which is high-protein and low-fat (and wonderfully creamy).
Of course, the eggs are an additional source of protein.
This dish is surprisingly substantial. Add a nice green salad on the side and you’ll be rolling.