This recipe is inspired by one of my favorite cookbooks, Sababa, which focuses on Israeli recipes. While corn is one of those all-American foods, I think there's always room for fusion - and the Israeli version of it is one of my new favorite ways to make it. It's similar to elote, but with Zataar and Zhoug for a Mediterranean twist.
But instead of doing corn on the cob, I took the "corn ribs" approach. In case this trend has died by now, this was a TikTok trend in the summer of 2022 to switch up the way we eat corn! It's actually quite difficult to cut it properly, but it makes for a fun finished product. I thought it was more enjoyable to eat it than straight from the cob.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 14 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Ingredients
4 ears corn, shucked
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 lime, cut in half
¾ cup (3 ounces) finely crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon paprika
1 small jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
2 tbsp zhoug
2 tbsp mayo
Process
Preheat the oven (unless you are using an air fryer - which works as well) to 375º.
Cut the corn into fourths, long ways, by holding the corn vertically and cutting it down the core. Then cut each half by putting it on its back, core up, and slicing down the center.
Whisk together the labneh, feta, cilantro, paprika, olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Zest half of the lime into the yogurt mixture. Brush each corn rib with about 2 tablespoons of the yogurt mixture. Put in the oven or air fryer and cook for 14 minutes.
While it's cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining zhoug and mayo with 1/2 tbsp lime juice.
Serve while hot!