This delicious corn ribs recipe are easily adaptable as an appetizer, snack or side dish, and is especially perfect for your next barbecue. As Michelin-trained chef Poppy O’Toole puts it, these “corn ribs were a trend on TikTok– but, unlike many other TikTok fads, this one had legs… or ribs… they are actually delicious.”
This recipe comes from O’Toole, also known as Poppy Cooks on social media or The Potato Queen for her viral spud recipes. Her cookbook, Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Air Fryer Cookbook, was an instant No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller. They include quick, fool-proof meal ideas from Honey Soy Salmon or Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers to sides like these Best Air Fryer Fries or Spring Rolls.
Why are they called corn ribs?
The name, corn ribs, comes from its fun look. After cutting the corn into slices and eating it off the “bone,” they resemble the eating experience of ribs.
What sauce goes well with corn ribs?
This corn ribs recipe is paired with a delicious zesty butter, made with melted butter, lime zest and lime juice. The fresh taste of the sauce pairs perfectly with the natural sweetness of the corn and the smoked herby seasonings.
Are you supposed to eat the whole corn rib?
No, as the cob is too tough to bite through. Eat the kernels off the corn as normal to enjoy these fantastic recipe.
Air Fryer Corn Ribs
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 mortar and pestle
Ingredients
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dark brown soft sugar
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- 4 corn-on-the-cobs
- Olive Oil
- 4 tbsp butter melted
- 2 limes 1 zested and juiced, and 1 cut into wedges
- Sea-salt flakes
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the cumin and coriander seeds and toast for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Tip out the toasted seeds into a mortar and crush them with a pestle. Add the paprika, oregano, sugar and cinnamon and season generously with salt and pepper.
- Using a very sharp, heavy knife, trim the ends of the cobs to make them flat. Stand each cob on a flat end and cut it in half lengthways. Warning – this is quite difficult!
- Then, cut the halves lengthways into wedges, each about 4 kernels of corn wide. Drizzle the ‘ribs’ with olive oil and toss them with the spice mixture.
- Heat the air fryer to 200°C/400°F. Get the ribs into the air-fryer basket and cook for 20–25 minutes, until charred at the edges.
- While the corn is cooking, mix the butter with the lime zest and some of the juice, to taste. Season generously.
- Once the ribs are cooked, dot them with the zesty butter and serve them with the lime wedges for squeezing over.
Notes
