Sweet Corn Johnny Cakes w/ Honey & Peppers

Mark Ordaz — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 07:00:25 +0000

We love making this recipe during corn season. Otto File is a variety of dried flint corn, usually harvested the year before, so we pair it with fresh sweet corn that’s in season now. This batter is wonderfully versatile — you can fry it into hush puppies or cook it in clarified butter like a Johnny cake.

Serving Suggestions

As hush puppies: Deep-fry until golden, glaze with honey butter straight from the fryer, and serve with seasoned yogurt.
As Johnny cakes: Pan-fry in clarified butter and serve with seasoned yogurt or crème fraîche, plus a spoon of pepper jelly.
Cast iron version: Bake in a large format, glaze with honey, then top with crème fraîche and scallions — or serve with shrimp gravy.
Add country ham and peach marmalade for a sweet-savory twist.

Enjoy!

Sweet Corn Johnny Cakes with Honey & Peppers

These Johnny Cakes combine the rich, nutty flavor of heirloom Otto File flint cornmeal with fresh seasonal corn, shishito peppers, onions, honey, and brown sugar for a perfect balance of sweet and savory. Whether pan-fried in clarified butter or deep-fried into crisp hush puppies, they’re a versatile, irresistible treat that celebrates the best of corn season.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American, International

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 20

Total Time 45

Servings servings

Author Mark Ordaz

Ingredients

1 kg all-purpose flour
1 kg cornmeal ground Otto File
50 g baking powder
50 g baking soda
30 g salt
20 g ground black pepper
1200 g bi-color corn
500 g cooked shishito peppers see step 1
200 g cooked onion
200 g honey
200 g brown sugar
450 g beaten eggs
200 g buttermilk
900 g boiling water approximate

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Prepare the vegetables: Dice shishito peppers and onions into small pieces, so they’re around the same size or a little bigger than the corn kernels.
Cook the vegetables: In a pan, heat a little oil over medium heat. Add the peppers, onion, and corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened. Drain excess liquid.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and black pepper. Add the cooked corn, shishito peppers, and onion.
Combine the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, mix the honey, brown sugar, beaten eggs, and buttermilk (do not add the water yet).
Make the batter: Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Gradually stream in the boiling water until you achieve a thick pancake-batter consistency.
Cook: Heat clarified butter in a non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in batter to form cakes, cooking until golden brown on both sides. Serve hot.

Notes