I had been making this Corn and Black Bean Salad for years as an alternative to salsa. The recipe was inspired by the Black Bean and Corn Salsa from the Summer 2014 edition of Island Scene magazine put out by HMSA. After recently resuming watching the Food Network, I learned that this is called Cowboy Caviar in the contiguous states. I had no idea! I’d say this is better and WAY more affordable than your traditional caviar!
What makes this salad so tasty?
This salad is great during the summer when you are hot yet are tired of lettuce-based salads. It has a natural sweetness from the corn so you don’t need to pour gobs of store-bought dressing for flavor. Each component of this salad flavors it so well you won’t realize it doesn’t have any dressing other than lime and salt and pepper.
Corn and Black Bean Salad tastes great with tortilla chips, on your favorite salad greens, with a side of grilled meat, or on its own. This recipe is such a tasty way to get extra veggies in your diet and helps keep me balanced so I can enjoy local Hawaii eats on the weekends or for special occasions.
Health Benefits
What’s not to love about this salad? It has 7 different plants and plant variety is great for your gut. You’ll also get a wide variety of vitamins and minerals to benefit your body and your brain. It’s filling from the black beans, gives you energy from the corn, and all the plant fiber will help keep you regular. With 4 different colors from the rainbow, it’s also a beautiful dish to look at and a big part of eating is with your eyes!
Find other great side dish recipes for your next gathering, barbecue, or cookout below:
Corn and Black Bean Salad (with avocado)
Equipment
- 1 5-quart pot
- 1 Colander
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 small bowl
Ingredients
- 2 fresh corn cobs white or yellow corn
- water for boiling
- 1 15-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 large tomato diced
- ¼ small red onion diced
- 1 large avocado chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 small jalapeno diced, optional
Instructions
- Put water in pot and heat on high heat. Clean the corn cobs if it is not already done.
- Add corn to the boiling water and reduce heat to medium heat. Cook corn for about 5 minutes or until tender. Let cool until you can hold it and cut the corn off the cob (this is a great time to prep your remaining vegetables.)
- Place the small bowl upside down in the large bowl. Stand one end of the corn cob on the small bowl and hold the other end in your non-dominant hand. Use the knife in your dominant hand to cut the corn off the cob; they will fall into smaller clusters of corn into the large bowl. Repeat with the second cob of corn. Remove the small bowl.
- Add the rinsed black beans, tomatoes, red onion, avocado, and cilantro to the large bowl.
- Zest the rind of the entire lime into the bowl. Cut the lime in half and juice the entire lime into the large bowl.
- Season with salt and pepper. Optional: add diced jalapeno if you like a little spice. Mix until well combined.
