What’s not to love about corn on the cob? If you’re eating it, it’s probably summer. It probably involves butter and salt, and those are pretty darn delicious. And in case of Corn on the Cob with Herb Compound Butter, it also includes fresh herbs. Win-win all around!
I’d like to say that I plucked the fresh herbs for the recipe from my herb garden, but that’s only partly true. We had a super wet June in Chicago, and my herbs spent more time underwater this summer (due to poor drainage in the pots) than they did soaking up the sun.
I admittedly didn’t try very hard nor plant many herbs as 1) we are moving later this summer and 2) we had a significant deck staining project this summer so the herbs spent more time on our concrete parking pad than they did on the deck. I basically ignored them in June and early July and the sad photo below proves it. 🙁
When I took this photo, the herbs are enjoying the 3 hours of sun that they get every day. I chose shade-loving herbs due to our west-facing, covered-on-the-top deck only getting some afternoon soon. The parsley and cilantro died almost immediately due to the poor drainage. The thyme and oregano bit the dust not long after. But the three that kept on going? Mint, chives, and rosemary. They’re the hardy ones, apparently!
I’ve been putting the chives especially to work this summer, including in this Corn on the Cob with Herb Compound Butter. I used basil and thyme from the grocery store to complement the chives, but you could use any herbs that you like! The ratio is approximately 1 stick of butter to 3 tablespoons of herbs.
You can cook the corn on the stovetop per the recipe, or honestly, you can steam it in the microwave, too. That’s how my mom does it and so I do it that way sometimes as well. You just place it in a large dish with a little water at the bottom, cover, and microwave on high for 3–4 minutes or until the corn kernels are tender.
I served the corn on the cob with herb compound butter with a very summer-y dinner of Grilled Pork Chops with Fresh Peach Salsa and my Grandma’s German Potato Salad. Longe gobbled them up, and I’m excited to repeat the dinner for some upcoming dinner guests. The recipes for those are coming soon!
PrintCorn on the Cob with Herb Compound Butter
Feel free to use a mixture of your favorite herbs, such as parsley, basil, chives, thyme, or oregano. If you’re using unsalted butter, add ¼–½ teaspoon of kosher salt to the mixture.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 4 ears sweet corn, shucked
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (a pot big enough to fit the 4 ears of corn).
- Meanwhile, mix the salted butter with the chopped herbs. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Place the shucked corn in the boiling water. Cover and remove the pot from the heat. Allow the corn to sit in the water for 10 minutes. Uncover, remove the corn with tongs, and place corn on a serving platter to dry slightly. Serve corn warm with the herb compound butter.
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