It seems that every Cajun family has a recipe for Macque Choux, a luscious side dish made with fresh corn, onions, peppers, and cream. The other ingredients vary, according to family tastes, and most versions have a little heat. The following Cajun Macque Choux is adapted from an excellent cookbook, 101 One-Dish Dinners: Hearty Recipes for the Dutch Oven, Skillet & Casserole Pan, which is perfect for busy cooks. This recipe takes the macque choux as a side dish and makes it into a luscious main dish by adding a generous portion of shrimp. The only accompaniment needed is some fresh crusty French bread and butter for a complete meal. You can control the amount of heat in the dish by adding more or less jalapeno peppers and cayenne pepper.

Since this dish is made on the stovetop in less than 30 minutes, it’s perfect for hot summer days when no one wants to spend much time in the kitchen. It goes together quickly so the kitchen won’t heat up. This is the perfect dish to utilize the fresh corn found in farmer’s markets and roadside produce stands. It’s quite economical, too, since packages of frozen shrimp have no waste, and the peppers and herbs are most likely growing in your garden.

6 Servings

4 slices thick bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 to 4 jalapeno peppers, cored, seeded, and diced
4 Roma tomatoes, diced

4 cups fresh corn, cut from the cobs
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 pound small raw shrimp, (no tails or shells), cleaned
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook the bacon on a large skillet until crisp; remove the bacon from the skillet to drain.
2. Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, and jalapeno peppers to the bacon fat and sauté until the onion is translucent.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, corn, cream, thyme, basil, pepper, sugar, salt, and cayenne pepper.
4. Stir well, cover, turn the heat to medium, and simmer until the corn is crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.
5. Uncover and stir in the shrimp and green onions; stir over medium heat until the shrimp turns pink.
6. Stir well, taste for seasoning, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve immediately.

Amount Per Serving
Calories 412 Calories from Fat 174
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 42% Protein 23% Carb. 35%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 19 g
Saturated Fat 11 g
Cholesterol 207 mg
Sodium 479 mg
Total Carbohydrate 36 g
Dietary Fiber 2 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 23 g

Vitamin A 62% Vitamin C 138% Calcium 0% Iron 22%