Give your corn on the cob some kick with a spicy and refreshing chili lime butter.

 

Ingredients

• 4 cobs sweet corn, in the husks
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp chopped green onion
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh red chili or jalapeno pepper
• 1 tsp lime zest
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 lime, quartered
• Maldon sea salt to taste

Directions

1 Heat the barbecue to medium. If there are many tight layers on the cob, peel the first dark green outer husks from the corn, leaving just a few protective inner layers. Gently peel back the inner husks just far enough to remove the silk but not to detach the husks from the cob.

2 Then place the corn in a large bowl of water to soak for 10 minutes.
The water will help stop the husks from burning and will help keep the corn moist to steam the kernels inside the husks.

3 Shaking off the excess water, pull the husks around the corn to enclose and place the cobs directly on the grill, but not on the hottest part, and close the lid.

4 Turn the cobs every 5 minutes for about 20 minutes, until lightly charred. The niblets should be tender-crisp but not mushy, with just a few grill marks.

5 While the corn is cooking, mix the butter, cilantro, green onion, chili pepper, lime zest and paprika in a small bowl to make a soft butter.

6 When the corn is cooked, peel back the husks, removing any silk strands, and slather with the chili lime butter. To serve, squeeze the wedges of lime over the corn and sprinkle with the sea salt.

Prep & cook time: 1 hour.
Serves 4.

Note: The secret to doing fresh-picked corn on the barbecue is a low, slow cook on gentle heat, keeping the cobs moist and the kernels juicy with a little smoky flavour. That’s why it helps to cook the corn in the husk to protect the delicate kernels.