Grilled Corn with Ajilimójili Butter

Name: Grilled Corn with Ajilimójili Butter
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Caribbean
Ingredients: 100g butter, softened (3½oz); ½ small red capsicum, seeded and diced; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1–2 small chillies, seeded and finely chopped; 2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves; 2 teaspoons chopped marjoram or oregano leaves; ½ teaspoon ground cumin; ½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed; Finely grated zest of ½ orange; Finely grated zest of ½ lime; 2 cobs corn, husks and silk removed; Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing

Ajilimójili is a garlicky Puerto Rican sauce traditionally served with grilled seafood, meat or vegetables – the name literally means ‘garlic sauce’. I’ve turned it into deliciously spicy ajilimójili butter to slather onto grilled corn. This recipe makes plenty of butter, enough for at least 4 cobs of corn. Freeze any leftover in the baking paper inside a zip-lock bag for up to 3 months. It’s great to have on hand to melt over steak, seafood, poultry or vegetables! Adjust the amount of chillies (or size) to suit your taste; smaller chillies tend to be hotter. If you’re firing up the barbie anyway, to cook something like mojo steak , it makes sense to grill the corn. But you can boil it for about 5 minutes instead, just until it’s tender. If the capsicum is large, just use a quarter.

Serves 4 as a side dish

Ingredients

2 cobs corn, husks and silk removed
Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing

Ajilimójili Butter

100g butter, softened (3½oz)
½ small red capsicum (red pepper), seeded and diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1–2 small chillies, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram or oregano leaves
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt flakes, crushed
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
Finely grated zest of ½ lime

Method

Make Ajilimójili Butter: Use a stick blender to combine all ingredients well.
Spoon butter horizontally down the centre of a long strip of baking paper, fold the paper over and use a ruler to press against the side, pushing the butter into a log.
Roll up in the paper, twist the ends to secure and refrigerate Ajilimójili Butter until needed.
Preheat a char-grill pan or barbecue to medium-high heat.
Cut corn into chunks and roll in oil.
Cook for 10–15 minutes, turning regularly until it’s just tender and nicely charred all over.
Transfer to a serving bowl, top with Ajilimójili Butter and serve.