Korean Corn Cheese

You need you check out this Korean corn cheese recipe for your next Korean bbq session. This corn cheese is mixed with seafood which makes it taste savory, sweet and fragrant compared to regular corn cheese! This side dish or dip is creamy and thick, which adds great flavor to your bbq meat or chips.

Feel free to serve the korean corn cheese with chips or some grilled korean pork belly. I also added this on crispy toast and it tasted divine!! The dish is super easy to make and takes 30 minutes or less.

Not a fan of seafood? Omit it!

This corn cheese version includes imitation crab and shrimp. The seafood mixed with the corn cheese makes the dish more fragrant and sweet! I think these 2 ingredients (shrimp and imitation crab) is what makes this corn cheese extra delicious and highly addicting.

However, if you don’t have or don’t like the seafood ingredients, simply omit them! The Korean corn cheese recipe can be made without seafood and still turn out very delicious.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED FOR YOUR SEAFOOD CORN CHEESE

• 1 cup corn- you can use corn on the cob, frozen or canned corn for this recipe. Traditionally, Koreans use canned corn for extra sweetness.
• 1 tbs neutral oil – Anything that can be cooked on high temperature like avocado, vegetable, canola oil
• ¼ white onion, chopped
• 3 sticks imitation crab, chopped (optional but highly recommended)
• 3 shrimp, de-veined and peeled, chopped in small pieces (optional but highly recommended)
• 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup mayonnaise – I recommend to use Kewpie mayo for extra creaminess and sweetness to your recipe
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella mixed in
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella on top before baking

for garnish:

• ½ green onion (green part), sliced
• kimchi (optional) – adds acidity to the dish, which complements the cheese!

Tips to make the Korean corn cheese recipe extra delicious:

• Saute the corn and onions before mixing together in the bowl, makes the dish extra fragrant. The onions will caramelize and the corn will get infused with the onions.
• Use a big bowl to mix your cream cheese, corn and additional ingredients. The big bowl would prevent your ingredients from spilling on the side.
• Baking the cheese at the end heats up the shrimp and imitation crab; it also helps caramelize the cheese for a deeper flavor!
• Serve the korean corn cheese with korean bbq: pork belly, galbi, lettuce wraps, and more! This creamy corn cheese dip also goes well with chips.

HOW TO MAKE KOREAN CORN CHEESE:

Prepare ingredients:

Step 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 2. Cut corn on the cob or you can set aside 1 cup of frozen or canned corn. Traditionally in Korea, canned corn is used because its extra sweet! Chop green onions and ¼ white onion. Chop up some imitation crab and shrimp in small pieces. Set all chopped ingredients aside.

Heat Saucepan & Saute Corn

Step 3. Heat saucepan to medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon neutral oil. Once the oil is hot, add corn, green onions, and white onion. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Lightly seasoning throughout cooking helps bring out the flavor of the ingredients. Saute until corn is golden (roughly 5 minutes). Set corn aside in a bowl and cool down for a few minutes.

Mix Ingredients Together in Bowl

Step 4. In a bowl, combine the sauteed corn with imitation crab, shrimp, 2 ounces of softened cream cheese, ¼ cup mayonnaise, ½ teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, pinch of black pepper, and ½ cup shredded mozzarella. Mix together until well combined and there are no clumps of cream cheese.

Step 5. Place mixture evenly on an oven safe dish for baking. Then, add ½ cup shredded mozzarella on top of the mixture.

Bake Korean Corn Cheese

Step 6. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. If you want the top to be golden brown, broil on high for 2 minutes or until desired golden brown. Garnish with sliced green onions.

Step 7. Top with some kimchi (optional, but highly recommended) for a nice acidic contrast to the heavy dip! Eat seafood corn cheese with your korean bbq (pork belly, brisket, etc. ) or chips. Hope you enjoy!

Pair it with another delicious Korean dish:

• Tofu kimchi is an easy and quick appetizer if you kimchi. The tofu works so well with the kimchi in a seaweed wrap.
• Kimchi bibim guksu – thin white noodles mixed with spicy and tangy sauce
• Korean spicy soft tofu stew – silky tofu cooked in a savory and umami spicy dashi broth