Baked Sweetcorn Riblets With Chipotle Butter Dip
A fun little side dish that’s baked in the oven and served with a smokey chipotle butter dip on the side. Sweetcorn riblets are great for the whole family and they’re a good alternative to pork ribs too!
Recipe Overview
Prep Time:
20 MINUTES
Cook Time:
40 MINUTES
Why You’ll Love Sweetcorn Riblets
A Vegetarian Alternative: When baked, sweetcorn riblets curve like traditional pork ribs, making them a good alternative option.
Great for Little Hands: If you have children that struggle to hold a whole corn on the cob, corn ribs are the way to go.
Lots of Cooking Options: Use an air-fryer, shallow fry them or even barbequed, sweetcorn riblets can be cooked in lots of different ways.
Watch The Recipe Video
Rebecca Foxley’s Personal Notes About Sweetcorn Riblets
“The smoky chipotle butter is what really makes these sweetcorn ribs stand out from the crowd. You can make the chipotle butter ahead of time and store it in the fridge or freezer too! The kids especially love these, since they’re easier to handle than a whole corn on the cob.”
I love to serve up a side of sweetcorn with family dinner, but to make things a little more interesting, creating corn riblets makes rather average sweetcorn cobs stand out a little more.
The most difficult part of this recipe is actually cutting the sweetcorn cobs into ribs. However, once you have mastered this step with the right utensils, you’re good to go. A heavy, sharp knife and a sturdy chopping board will make preparing the sweetcorn cobs much easier.
Serve your corn riblets up while they’re hot. They go with BBQ’s, on the side of a delicious Nacho Burger, alongside a Quesadilla or even as a snack on their own. Corn ribs make a great vegetarian side dish or starter that will leave everyone happy.
Equipment Needed:
- Large Sharp Knife: Using a very sharp knife will make the preparation go a lot quicker. Cut the riblets on a sturdy cutting board.
- Large Baking Tray: Or a baking sheet, big enough to comfortably fit the corn riblets on leaving a little space between them. Use more than one if needed.
- Pastry Brush: It’s optional, but makes it easier to cover the corn ribs with oil before baking.
- Cheese Grater: For grating the parmesan and lime zest for the smoky butter.
- Small Bowl: Grab a small bowl to prepare and serve the chipotle butter on the side.
Ingredients:
- Whole Sweetcorn on the Cob – Grab some fresh corn for the best results.
- Smoked Paprika – I use a sweet smoked paprika for this recipe
- Olive Oil – For baking.
- Sea Salt and Black Pepper – This is used as a seasoning and it is up to you how much you wish to use.
- Butter – This can be salted or unsalted depending on your requirements. However, I would always recommend using unsalted and adding the seasoning in separately so you can control the amount of salt in your recipe.
- Chipotle Paste – Chipotle paste is made from dried, smoked jalapenos that have been ground into a puree with a couple of other ingredients added to the mix. Chipotle paste is a relatively mild chilli paste which is suitable for adding a slightly spicy kick and flavour to the recipe.
- Lime Zest – Finely grate the lime zest from an unwaxed lime. You can use the whole lime for another recipe such as this Guacamole without onions. Or Cut the whole lime into wedges and squeeze the fresh lime juice over the baked ribs for extra zing.
- Parmesan Cheese – Finely grate the parmesan cheese and mix it into the butter. The parmesan doesn’t make the chipotle butter particularly cheesy but it does add a flavour which compliments everything else very well. Choose a vegetarian Parmesan if you wish to make these completely vegetarian.
Substitutions and Additions:
Wondering if you can substitute or add an ingredient? Here, I will tell you if that’s possible.
- Smoked Paprika: If you want your corn ribs spicy, you can add in a little hot smoked paprika to the mix depending on your preferred level of spice.
- OIive Oil: Choose another baking oil, like sunflower oil or vegetable oil if you’d rather.
- Chipotle Paste: You can use a different type of chilli paste if you’d prefer, but this may add more spice and a slightly different flavour than this recipe. But feel free to experiment if you wish.
- Garlic Powder: Alongside the paprika, you can add a little garlic powder for extra flavour.
- Fresh Coriander (Cilantro) or Fresh Parsley Leaves: For a garnish, try a sprinkle of chopped herbs and flaky sea salt on top of the baked corn ribs.
Step-By-Step Guide with Photos
Prep-Ahead Time Saving Tips for Sweetcorn Riblets
Planning ahead makes this recipe even faster! Here are some ways to streamline your prep:
TOTAL TIME SAVED:
20 MINUTES
Prepare the Chipotle Butter: The chipotle butter can be prepared in advance, stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for a month.
Cut the Corn Ribs: You can prepare the sweetcorn cobs in ribs 2 days in advance and store them in the fridge in an airtight container.
Frequently Asked Questions
You cannot eat the middle of a sweetcorn cob as it is too hard. So, essentially, you would eat a sweetcorn rib just like a pork rib and treat the centre like the bone.
Sweetcorn is a particular type of maize that is grown for human consumption. Corn is a generic term used to describe various types of maize that can be used for many different things, so the difference can vary depending on what type of maize is being referred to. Often, sweetcorn is simply called corn or corn on the cob.
Yes, you can. Corn ribs in the air fryer don’t tend to take as long to bake like an oven. But the exact time can depend on the brand of air fryer you are using. Lay them out on a single layer with some space between each one. Try cooking them for 10-15 minutes, flipping them over halfway through and if you feel they need a bit longer to turn curly and crispy you can bake them for a little bit longer.
Mastering This Recipe – Expert Tips
- Cutting tips – For the easiest way, you can cut the sweetcorn cobs into half to make two shorter ribs. This means to create the riblets, you don’t have to cut down as far. You can keep them whole though if you’d prefer to have longer corn ribs.
- Cooking times may vary – You may need to decrease the cooking time or add a little extra depending on how efficient your oven is. Check the ribs every 10 minutes or so during cooking time. You want the end result of curly, crispy sweetcorn ribs so that they resemble traditional pork ribs in shape.
- Bring the butter to room temperature – You’ll be able to mix and prepare the chipotle butter much easier with soft butter.
Storing Sweetcorn Riblets
- Leftovers: If you have left-overs you can store corn riblets in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days. The chipotle butter can also be stored in the same way.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing sweetcorn riblets as the texture tends to go a bit soft and soggy but the Chipotle butter can be frozen for up to a month.
- Reheating: If you want to reheat the ribs, this is best done in the oven. Simply place the sweetcorn ribs in an oven proof dish and cover with tin foil. Bake in a hot oven at 190°C (375°F) for about 10-15 minutes to heat through.
Baked Sweetcorn Riblets With Chipotle Butter Dip
Ingredients
- 4 Sweetcorn Cobs
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 60 g Butter
- 1 tbsp Chipotle Paste
- 1 tbsp Lime Zest
- 2 tbsp Parmesan, finely grated
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the Sweetcorn Ribs
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Using a sharp, heavy knife, cut each sweetcorn cob in half widthways to create shorter pieces.
- Stand each piece upright on the thicker end and carefully cut it in half lengthways through the centre, applying firm, steady pressure and keeping your fingers well clear.
- Lay the cut sides flat on a chopping board and score a line down the centre of the core
- Stand each piece upright again and cut along the scored line to divide each cob into quarters.
- In a bowl, mix the olive oil with the smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Arrange the sweetcorn ribs in a single layer on the baking tray, leaving space between each piece.
- Brush the ribs all over with the seasoned oil.
- Place the tray in the oven and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the ribs curl slightly and become crisp around the edges.
- While the corn is baking, allow the butter to soften at room temperature or gently soften it in the microwave.
- Finely grate the Parmesan and lime zest.
- Mix the softened butter with the chipotle paste, lime zest, and grated Parmesan until fully combined.
- Once the sweetcorn ribs are cooked, brush them with the chipotle butter while hot, or serve the butter on the side.
- Serve the sweetcorn ribs hot for best results.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Use a really sharp, heavy knife to cut the ribs.
- Cooking times can vary depending on your oven.
- You can also cook the corn ribs in an air fryer, shallow fry them or even cook them on the barbeque. Cooking times will vary depending on the method you use.
- The chipotle butter can be prepared ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
