Succotash Recipe
Published July 20, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This delicious succotash recipe is loaded up with tender fresh corn and caramelized onions, and peppers, and finished with okra, beans, zucchini, and herbs for the perfect vegetable side dish. This succotash pairs perfect with just about any protein or can be served as a side dish all by itself.
We love using fresh corn on the cob whenever it is in season during the summer months. For more ways to use up fresh corn, try my Corn Chowder or homemade Corn Pudding recipe.
Succotash
Succotash is a name taken from the Narragansett Indian word, “msickquatash,” which means boiled whole kernels of corn. This recipe would have classically been more of a thin soup using few ingredients including corn, beans, and some sort of meat such as cured or smoked pork. In addition, some sort of squash would have commonly been used in Indian cuisine, especially since three sisters, corn, beans, and squash, were such a staple in their agriculture.
This recipe has since become a popular southern dish as other ingredients were introduced like onions, peppers, garlic, and okra while making it more of a vegetable side dish served hot or at room temperature and less of a soup. It is common to finish off this style of succotash with butter and herbs.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Corn – Use fresh corn on the cob for this recipe. You can substitute with frozen or canned if out of season.
- Fat – Traditional cured or smoked hog jowl would be used, but any thick-cut bacon or pork belly will work in this.
- Beans – Lima beans or even butter beans will work for this dish.
- Onions – I like to use sweet or yellow onions, but you can use white or red onions.
- Tomatoes – This would not have been in the traditional recipe, but it is absolutely a staple when making the southern version.
- Vegetables – All of these vegetables are optional, but I like to use garlic, bell peppers, okra, and zucchini.
- Herbs – Fresh basil is a great option to finish off this dish, and you can also use fresh thyme.
How to Make Succotash
Use these easy-to-follow procedures and images to make this amazingly flavorful succotash recipe:
Trim the corn off the cob and prepare all the vegetables and bacon.
In a large frying pan or rondeau over medium to medium-high heat, add in the bacon and cook until the lardons are crispy, and the fat has been rendered, which takes about 5 minutes.
Remove the bacon lardons and set them aside.
Add the onions, garlic, and peppers to the pan with bacon fat and sauté for about 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
Next, add the corn, okra, and lima beans and sauté for a further 5 minutes or until the corn is yellow and tender, and the okra begins to turn bright green.
Stir in the zucchini and crisp bacon and cook for only 1 to 2 minutes while frequently stirring.
Remove the pan from heat and finish with butter, basil, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
Garnish with additional chopped basil and sliced green onions.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: If you are serving this recipe hot, you can keep it warm for up to 20 minutes over low heat before serving. When serving it at room temperature, you can make this up to 30 minutes ahead of time.
How to Store: Cover the succotash and store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. This will freeze covered for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
How to Reheat: Add a tablespoon of unsalted butter to a large frying pan or rondeau over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted and in the desired amount of succotash and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until warm.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Feel free to add any additional ingredients to customize and make it your own.
- To make this a little more Cajun, feel free to add 1 rib of small-diced celery when cooking the onions, garlic, and peppers to create the trinity.
More Side Dish Recipes
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Succotash Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 sliced thick-cut bacon slices
- 1 peeled and small diced yellow onion
- 1 seeded small diced red bell pepper
- 2 finely minced garlic cloves
- 8 ears trimmed fresh corn
- 5 sliced fresh okra
- 1/3 cup lima beans
- ½ medium-diced green zucchini
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or rondeau over medium to medium-high heat, add in the bacon and cook until the lardons are crispy, and the fat has been rendered, which takes about 5 minutes.
- Remove the bacon lardons and set them aside.
- Add in the onions, garlic, and peppers to the pan with bacon fat and sauté for about 5 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Next, add the corn, okra, and lima beans and sauté over high heat for a further 5 minutes or until the corn is yellow and tender, and the okra begins to turn bright green.
- Stir in the zucchini and crisp bacon and cook for only 1 to 2 minutes while frequently stirring. This zucchini should not be mushy.
- Remove the pan from heat and finish with basil, tomatoes, butter, salt, and pepper.
- Garnish with additional chopped basil and sliced green onions.
Thank you Chef love video’s also tasty recipe 😁😋👏👋
Thank you for your recipe ChefBilly tasty 😁😋👏👋
My family went crazy over this very flavorful dish! Made in the summer with fresh sweet corn and other ingredients fresh from the garden or farmers market. It’s something different to bring to a family gathering also. I highly recommend you try it!
Many thanks!
So, so good! My family loved it!
amazing!
Thank you, glad they enjoyed it!
Thanks 😊.