Succotash – Don’t You Just Love The Sound of It?
Succotash (SUHK-uh-tash) comes from the Indian word sohquttahhash or broken corn kernels. It is a popular US favorite especially in the southern states and consists of lima beans, corn and sometimes red peppers that have been cooked.
I found a recipe for succotash in some grocery store that I adapted for myself using ingredients I had on hand. When I looked up succotash on Google, I was blown away at how many variations there are for such a simple dish.
I realized succotash can be what ever you want it to be as long as you are using corn and some sort of legume, most often lima beans.
Fresh lima beans, sometimes called butter beans, come as pods very similar to edamame (whole soy bean pods). Although not generally available with the whole pod, you may find some in a specialty store and they should be dark green and glossy.
Dried lima and frozen lima beans are readily available in most supermarkets. The dried lima beans need to be soaked and cooked before using.
You can find regular frozen lima beans and baby lima beans too. I find there is nothing wrong with frozen lima beans the same as I don’t think there is anything wrong with other frozen vegetables as long as you handle them properly and don’t defrost and refreeze.
Did you know that 1 pound of dry packaged beans = 2 cups dry = 6 cups cooked beans?
And of course you will find canned lima beans that are fine for soups and stews but be careful to check the sodium levels with any canned veggie. For this recipe I found some frozen baby lima beans that were already cooked and ready to go.
And I’m sure my summer succotash would have been better with fresh corn and fresh vegetables, I opted for frozen to expedite the meal. Truth is I needed to prepare something in a hurry to serve with dinner.
Summer Succotash Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups corn
- ¾ cups lima beans young
- 6 tablespoons olive oil virgin
- 1 small onion or 1 large shallot, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper roasted & chopped (I used 4 pieces of jarred peppers)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 pinch sugar
- juice of lime
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by heating up a medium sized saucepan and heating up 2 tablespoons of virgin olive oil.
- Add the frozen lima beans, corn, onion or shallot and garlic and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes.
- Add the red pepper and cook for another minute or two and remove from the heat.
- Add the fresh basil, parsley, and thyme and mix together.
- Season with sugar, lime juice, mix, taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Thanks so much for giving your time to give me the wonderful treatise on Succotash and your recipe. What fun!
Liz Allingham
Our take (and make) on succotash has always been that it includes whole kernel corn, stewed tomatoes, green baby lima beans and okra, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. The ingredients can be fresh, frozen or canned. It did not contain meat, milk, cream, onions, scallions, peppers or butter, but it could I suppose if someone desired.
Hey Jim, thank for your take and appreciate your being open to some other ingredients. – RG
Just wanted to reply and say nice blog, great to read from people with a clue.
I’ve been browsing your site today and have saved quite a few recipes to My Favorites. I am a fan of succotash and was so surprised and delighted to see your recipe.
I always used frozen lima beans (usually Fordhook limas) because shelling beans is a lot of work lol. I include okra and tomatoes in my version. I had never thought of including lime juice but it sounds like a really great idea. I will definitely try it next time. I also find that the adobo seasoning with cumin really complements the ingredients.
Hi Elle, thanks for sharing your suggestions. – RG
Hello there, You have done an excellent job. I will definitely digg it and personally recommend to my friends. I am sure they’ll be benefited from this web site.