Summer Harvest Skillet Succotash
The Meat-and-Three: Potlikker & Seasonal Produce
A twelve-inch cast-iron skillet, a saved jar of bacon drippings, and supermarket frozen butter beans. Forget the mushy, canned cafeteria nightmare of your childhood. True Southern succotash hits the hot pan fast, relying on those essentials and fresh sweet corn scraped right down to the cob. Keep the heat high, don't crowd the pan, and serve beside a heavy pork chop with plenty of cornbread to sop up the leftover potlikker.
Before you start
Milk the corn cobs.
After slicing the kernels off the fresh ears of corn, hold each cob over a bowl and firmly scrape the dull side of your knife down the bare sides to extract the starchy corn milk, reserving this liquid with your kernels.
Ingredients
- thick-cut bacon6 slices
- sweet onion1 med
- red bell pepper1 med
- frozen butter beans2 cup
- fresh sweet corn kernels3 cup
- fresh okra1 cup
- low-sodium chicken broth1/2 cup
- cherry tomatoes1 pt
- unsalted butter1 tbsp
- apple cider vinegar1 tbsp
- kosher salt and black pepperto taste
Method
- 01
Render the bacon fat over medium-low heat.
Place the chopped bacon in a cold, large cast-iron skillet, letting it slowly render until crispy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving the golden drippings in the pan.
- 02
Sauté the aromatics in the residual pork fat.
Increase the heat to medium, add the diced onion and bell pepper, and cook until translucent and sweet, about 5 minutes.
- 03
Simmer the butter beans in broth.
Add the thawed butter beans and chicken broth to the skillet, bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes to ensure the beans are perfectly tender.
- 04
Stir in the corn and okra to build the sauce.
Add the corn kernels, the reserved scraped corn milk, and the sliced okra, seasoning generously with salt and pepper. Sauté uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes until the natural starches bind the residual broth into a light, glossy sauce.
- 05
Finish off the heat to preserve the tomatoes.
Remove the skillet from the heat and immediately stir in the halved tomatoes, butter, and apple cider vinegar. The residual heat of the cast iron will soften the tomatoes slightly without turning them into mush.
- 06
Garnish with bacon and serve immediately.
Adjust the seasoning if necessary, top with the reserved crispy bacon, and serve straight from the skillet alongside a dense meat and cornbread.
Notes
Embrace frozen produce for a weeknight shortcut.
Frozen sweet corn and frozen sliced okra are highly authentic, time-saving substitutes preserved at peak ripeness. If using frozen corn, you'll miss the natural 'corn milk,' so add 2 tablespoons of heavy cream with the butter at the end of cooking to achieve that signature glossy texture.
Vegetarian and Halal adaptations are simple.
To replicate the rich umami of bacon without the pork, use 2 tablespoons of high-quality salted butter mixed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in place of the drippings, swap chicken broth for vegetable broth, and add a half-teaspoon of smoked paprika when sautéing the onions.
From Cook Southern Food.