Equipment
Ingredients
Sweet Corn Pudding
- 400 g sweet corn kernels, thawed if frozen, or fresh from cob
- 240 ml heavy cream
- 120 ml whole milk
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 40 g fine yellow cornmeal
- 25 g granulated sugar
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Lemon Relish
- 1 lemon, zested and supremed
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 15 g capers, drained and roughly chopped
- 10 g fresh parsley, finely minced
- 45 ml olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 g kosher salt
Grilled Spot Prawns
- 600 g spot prawns or large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
- 30 ml olive oil
- 3 g smoked paprika
- 4 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 841 kcal
- Protein
- 43 g
- Carbohydrates
- 41 g
- Fat
- 60 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 17 g
- Sodium
- 1440 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 26 g
- Trans Fat
- 1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 25 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 5 g
- Cholesterol
- 484 mg
- Potassium
- 946 mg
- Calcium
- 217 mg
- Iron
- 3.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 123 mg
- Phosphorus
- 585 mg
- Zinc
- 3.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 463 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 22 mg
- Vitamin D
- 2.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 4.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 59 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.6 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.25 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.45 mg
- Niacin
- 2.4 mg
- Folate
- 76 mcg
- Water
- 316 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F). Lightly grease a 20x20cm baking dish with butter or oil.
Place half of the sweet corn kernels (200g) into a blender along with the heavy cream and whole milk. Blend until roughly pureed but still slightly chunky.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, melted butter, cornmeal, sugar, kosher salt, and black pepper until completely smooth. Stir in the pureed corn mixture and the remaining 200g of whole corn kernels.
Pour the corn mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 40 to 45 minutes. The edges should be golden brown and the center should be just set with a slight jiggle.
While the pudding bakes, prepare the lemon relish. Remove the zest from the lemon, then cut away the pith. Carefully slice out the lemon segments, discarding the seeds, and finely dice the fruit.
In a small bowl, combine the diced lemon segments, lemon zest, diced shallot, chopped capers, minced parsley, extra virgin olive oil, and kosher salt. Stir well and set aside to let the flavors meld.
Place the dried spot prawns in a medium bowl. Toss thoroughly with olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper until evenly coated.
Preheat a grill or heavy grill pan over medium-high heat. If using raw meat or seafood handling protocols, ensure surfaces are clean before and after.
Grill the prawns for 1.5 to 2 minutes per side. Remove immediately once they turn opaque and form grill marks. They should reach an internal temperature of 63°C (145°F).
Allow the corn pudding to rest for 10 minutes before serving so it sets. Spoon a generous portion of the warm pudding onto plates, top with the grilled prawns, and spoon the bright lemon relish over the seafood.
Chef's Notes
- Spot prawns are incredibly delicate and sweet, cooking much faster than standard farmed shrimp. A hot, fast sear is critical.
- For the absolute best corn pudding, use fresh summer corn on the cob. After cutting the kernels off, scrape the back of your knife down the cob to extract the starchy corn milk into your mixing bowl.
- The lemon relish acts as an acidic counterpoint to the rich, creamy pudding and sweet shellfish. Letting it sit for 20-30 minutes before serving softens the raw shallot bite and marries the flavors.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store relish separately from shrimp and pudding.
Reheating: Reheat corn pudding in a 175C oven until warm. Gently warm shrimp in a skillet over low heat just until heated through, being careful not to overcook.
Troubleshooting
Corn pudding is watery or separated after baking
Cause: Oven temperature was too low, or the pudding was pulled out before the eggs could fully coagulate.
Fix: Return to the oven for an additional 5-10 minutes. If liquid persists, carefully tilt the dish and absorb excess moisture with a clean paper towel before serving.
Prevention: Ensure your oven is properly calibrated to 190C and bake until the center is set and no longer sloshes.
Prawns are rubbery and tough
Cause: Overcooking. Seafood continues to cook residually after being removed from the heat.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Slice thinly and toss well with the lemon relish to disguise the texture.
Prevention: Remove the prawns from the grill the second they turn opaque, even if they look slightly underdone in the deepest center.
Cultural Context
Corn pudding is a cornerstone of American Southern cuisine, evolving from Native American porridge-like dishes into the rich, baked custard known today. While spot prawns are traditionally a Pacific coast delicacy, substituting them in a Gulf-coast style shrimp preparation marries regional American ingredients beautifully.
