Mexican Street Corn & Zucchini Crisps
Mexican street corn (with queso fresco, jalapeños & cilantro), parmesan-zucchini crisps, BBQ sauce
This recipe is inspired by street fair snacking and summer produce. The cheesy street corn is salty and spicy, and it's going to be hard to let go of enough of the zucchini crisps to put them on a pizza. My mouth is watering just thinking back on it. And for the barbecue sauce, feel free to use whatever you have in your fridge at the time—we had some leftover pomegranate BBQ sauce from this recipe, but if you haven't made that one, just go with whatever style you prefer. It adds a touch of sweetness to offset the spice and salt of the rest of the pizza.
Recipe
Ingredients:
1 ball of pizza dough
flour for dusting
semolina flour for pizza stone
olive oil
salt & pepper
a couple spoonfuls of your favorite BBQ sauce (see note above)
For the zucchini crisps:
vegetable oil
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
For the corn*:
butter
kernels from 5 ears of corn
1 jalapeño, seeded & diced
3 tablespoons mayo
2 tablespoons queso fresco or cotija cheese
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1 lime
*This will make extra, so feel free to cut it in half if you don't want leftovers
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 550° F, or as hot as it will go. While it's heating, put two large skillets on the stove for your zucchini and corn. Then prepare 3 bowls: one for the egg, one for the flour, and in the third combine the panko and parmesan.
In one skillet, melt a couple tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Add the corn and jalapeño and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is cooked through and slightly browned, about 8-10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a scant quarter inch (or about 1/2 cup) of vegetable oil in the other skillet. When shimmering, dredge the zucchini slices in flour, shaking off excess, then dip in the egg and press firmly into the panko mixture so they are fully coated.
Work in batches and add the prepped rounds to the skillet until golden brown and crispy, about a minute per side. Carefully transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and crisp up.
When the corn is finished, take it off the heat and stir in the remaining corn ingredients. Next, prepare your dough using the instructions on the right.
After you've baked it for a minute, take it out and brush it lightly with olive oil. Spoon a thin layer of BBQ sauce across the dough, then top with a generous helping off the street corn. Top with the zucchini crisps and drizzle some extra BBQ sauce on top, along with some extra crumbles of cheese. Bake until the crust is a nice golden brown. Then take it out, give it a final squeeze of lime juice, and enjoy!