Side dishes, by definition, most often don’t get prime attention. Seasonal sweet corn, however, can quickly become the star of the show at this time of year. A little salt and butter usually suffices to dress it up, but this is a really easy to add a little more oomph.

I always have sumac on hand in my pantry. This red-toned Middle Eastern spice adds a good dose of lemony flavour and is now quite readily available. I like to add it to salad dressings, and often sprinkle a generous amount on grilled boneless chicken breast. In this case, I mixed it in with some melted butter. If you haven’t cooked with sumac before, this is the perfect recipe to get you started!

Sumac Buttered Corn

4 cobs of corn
2 tbsp butter, melted
1/2 tsp sumac
Pinch each salt and freshly ground pepper

Steam, or grill corn until tender. In small bowl, whisk together the butter, sumac, salt and pepper. Brush over warm corn. Enjoy!