What Is Mexicorn and How Can I Use It?
Mexicorn is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 9 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Canned whole-kernel corn with diced red and green bell peppers; a Green Giant brand, also sold as fiesta corn.
- Despite the name it is not spicy; the peppers are sweet bell, with no chiles or heat.
- Always drain it; the watery, faintly metallic packing liquid thins batters and dips.
- The corn is pre-cooked, so add it late and warm gently to keep kernels firm and peppers colorful.
- Swap in plain canned corn plus a little diced bell pepper, or use a frozen corn-and-pepper blend.
What is mexicorn?
Mexicorn is canned whole-kernel corn studded with diced red and green bell peppers. It is a brand name from Green Giant that became the everyday word for any can of corn with peppers, also sold as fiesta corn or southwestern corn.
The flavor is plain sweet corn with a little vegetal sweetness from the peppers and a fleck of color. Despite the name, it is not spicy. There are no chiles and no heat unless a recipe adds them.
What it really buys you is shortcut color and a head start on a side dish. One can drained gives you corn and two diced peppers without touching a cutting board.
Cooking With Mexicorn
The fastest use is a quick side. Drain a can and warm it with a pat of butter and a little salt, and it is done; a squeeze of lime and a pinch of cumin pushes it toward elote territory.
It also folds straight into batters with no prep. Ham & Cornbread Casserole and Susan's Corn Muffins both stir it into the mix, where the kernels add pop and the peppers leave specks of color through the crumb.
It is just as much at home in anything Tex-Mex, stirred into Cheesy Mexican Rice with Beef or a pot of beans, spooned into Southwestern Wraps, or built into Fiesta Style Sloppy Joes.
Soups and chowders take it well too.
The kernels hold their shape in liquid, so Cajun Corn Chowder and Meat Ball Chowder both lean on it, added near the end just to heat through since the corn is already cooked.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Mexicorn likes bold, savory company that balances its sweetness. Cumin, chili powder, lime, cilantro, melted cheese, and a little smoky chipotle all play well. It is the easy sweet note in a corn dip or a layered taco salad.
The number one mistake is not draining it. The packing liquid is watery and faintly metallic, and dumped into a batter or a dip it thins everything and dulls the flavor.
Tip the can into a strainer and let it sit a minute.
The second mistake is overcooking it. The corn is already fully cooked in the can, so long simmering just turns the kernels soft and washes out the color of the peppers. Add it late and warm it gently.
Substitutes
The closest swap is plain canned corn plus a couple of tablespoons of diced red and green bell pepper. You control the ratio and skip nothing in flavor.
Frozen corn works too, and frozen pepper-and-corn blends are nearly identical to the canned product once thawed. Drained canned corn and a spoonful of jarred pimientos covers it in a pinch.
For a fresher result, cut kernels off a cooked cob and toss them with finely diced raw pepper. You lose the convenience but gain a brighter, crisper bite, which is worth it in a cold salad.
Buying and Storing
Find it in the canned vegetable aisle next to the regular corn, in a standard can around eleven ounces, labeled Mexicorn or corn with peppers.
Store unopened cans in the pantry, where they keep for a year or more past the date as long as the can is not dented or bulging.
Once opened, move any leftover corn to a covered container; never store it in the open can, since that can give it a metallic taste. Refrigerated, it keeps three to four days.
To keep it longer, freeze the drained kernels in a sealed bag for up to three months. They will be a little softer when thawed, so save them for soups and casseroles rather than a crisp salad.
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- mexicorn
- British (UK) term
- Mexicorn
- en français
- mexicorn
- en español
- mexicorn
Recipes using mexicorn
There are 9 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Susan's Corn Muffins
Susan's Corn Muffins: tender corn muffins enriched with sour cream and butter, studded with Mexicorn and chopped bacon. Savory-sweet, breakfast-ready, makes a dozen.
Ensalada Compurste
Ensalada compuesta is a Mexican-style stuffed tortilla layered with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, and melted cheddar, then piled high with lettuce, vegetables, and dressing. Hearty taco salad meets enchilada.
Cajun Corn Chowder
Cajun corn chowder with Mexicorn, frozen corn, skim milk, and chicken broth seasoned with cayenne, paprika, and celery seed. A spiced creamy corn soup that improves with resting.
Fiesta Style Sloppy Joes
Fiesta sloppy joes with ground beef, Mexicorn, tomato soup, chili powder, and hot sauce served over warm split biscuits. A Tex-Mex spin on the classic weeknight sloppy joe.
Meat Ball Chowder
Hearty meatball chowder with walnut-sized beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, rice, and Mexicorn in a tomato-beef broth. A big-batch soup that feeds a crowd.
Cheesy Mexican Rice with Beef
Mexican rice with ground beef, salsa, Mexicorn, and melted Monterey Jack. One skillet, seven ingredients, ready in 35 minutes. Weeknight-fast Tex-Mex dinner.
Ham & Cornbread Casserole
A scrumptious and tantalizing casserole that will satisfy your family's hunger.
