Cowboy Caviar
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced red onion, from 1 small onion
- 2 ears fresh corn (see note if you’d prefer to use frozen or canned)
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15-oz) can black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 lime
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons diced jalapeño peppers (from a jar; see note)
Instructions
- Place the onions in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit while you prep the rest of the salad.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the corn for about 3 minutes until tender-crisp, being careful not to overcook. Drain and let cool. Place the corn on a clean dish towel set over a cutting board, then use a serrated knife to cut the kernels off the cobs. (The dish towel dries the corn and catches the kernels as you cut so they don’t roll all over the place.)
- Drain the red onion and add to a large bowl. Add the corn, black beans, black eye peas, bell pepper, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, oil, vinegar, lime juice, cilantro, and jalapeño peppers; mix well to combine. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
Notes
Note: Diced jalapeños are pickled jalapeños that come conveniently pre-diced and packed in a vinegar brine. You can usually find them near other pickled items, like jarred olives (though they are typically not labeled "pickled"). Sliced pickled jalapeños work just as well; just give them a quick chop. Both versions keep in the fridge for several months and are great on tacos, nachos, or sandwiches. You can also use an equal amount of fresh jalapeños if you prefer, though I find the pickled ones a bit spicier—the vinegar and salt seem to amplify the heat.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.