The Weeknight Kitchen · A Bed for Scallops & More · Serves 4

Sweet Corn Purée

Name: Sweet Corn Purée
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 400 g corn kernels; 30 g unsalted butter; 60 ml whole milk or cream; 3 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt; 1 g black pepper; Optional: a pinch of sugar if the corn isn't sweet, a pinch of cayenne, or a squeeze of lime

A glossy, golden, honey-sweet purée pushed through a sieve until it's pure silk — the summer bed that makes seared scallops or fish taste like a tasting menu.

~15 min total 5 min prep Blender method

Spoon cost

Time ●○○○○ Anytime

VegetarianGluten-Free

Servingsamounts scale to match

Units

Ingredients

Blend it long, then push it through a sieve — the corn hulls are the enemy of silk. Corn skins stay gritty no matter how long you blend, so straining is what turns this from "blended corn" into a glossy, restaurant-smooth purée. Cook the corn just until tender and sweet — don't brown it, or you lose the golden color and clean sweetness.

Easier, if you like

Frozen corn makes this a year-round, five-ingredient purée — no shucking, no cutting kernels off the cob.
An immersion blender works right in the pan; you'll still want to strain for the silkiest result.

Method

Cook's notes

Straining is the whole trick here. Corn hulls are fibrous and won't blend smooth — the sieve is what makes it silky. For a rustic, more textured version you can skip it, but it won't be that glassy restaurant purée.

Frozen corn works year-round; sweet summer corn on the cob (cut from about 4 ears) is sublime when you can get it.

Consistency: thick enough to hold a scallop, loose enough to swoosh — adjust with a little more warm milk or cream.

Flavor boosts: a pinch of cayenne or chipotle for warmth, lime zest, grated parmesan, or a clove of roasted garlic.

What to serve it under: seared scallops or brown-butter scallops, seared fish, shrimp, pork, or chicken. Thin it with a little stock and it becomes a silky corn soup.

Make ahead: keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat gently, whisking, and loosen with a splash of milk.

Vegetarian and gluten-free; easy to make vegan

Vegan / dairy-free: use olive oil or plant butter and a plant milk — still lovely and sweet.

Gluten-free: naturally gluten-free.