There’s nothing quite like grabbing a handful of tortilla chips and diving into a bowl full of fresh veggies, sweet corn, beans, tomatoes and herbs dressed with a tangy “vinaigrette” otherwise known as Texas caviar. I made this salad a few months ago and it’s honestly all I can think about some days, so I just go ahead and make another giant batch and go to town. I am still not sick of it and I don’t plan to ever be sick of it.
Texas Caviar
Ingredients
Dressing:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons coarse salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Caviar:
- 15-ounce can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 15-ounce can fire roasted diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 ½ cups cooked sweet corn (from fresh, frozen or canned)
- 1 medium bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 medium jalapeno, seeded and minced
- ½ small red onion, peeled and minced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 bag tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, chili powder and oregano.
To the bowl, add the black-eyed peas, black beans, tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, jalapeno, onion and cilantro and stir to combine. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Serve with tortilla chips.
Cooking Notes
- Try 2 chopped roma tomatoes instead of the can of diced tomatoes.
- This salad is good for about 3 days in the refrigerator. Make sure it’s sealed in an airtight container, preferably glass. Because there is vinegar in the dressing, it’s best not to store it in a metal bowl because the vinegar can react with the metal and give your caviar a bit of a metallic flavor. Nobody wants that. Glass is king!
