Description
This cowboy caviar (AKA Texas caviar) is an easy dip made with black-eyed peas, black beans, bell peppers, tomatoes, red onion, corn, jalapeño pepper, fresh cilantro, and a homemade chili-lime dressing. It’s a healthy appetizer that everyone will be asking the recipe for at your next potluck or party.
Ingredients
Units
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- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups corn (fresh, frozen or canned)
- 1 15-oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups finely diced Roma tomatoes
- 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 1 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 1/2 cup finely diced red onion
- 1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and finely chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1-2 avocados, pitted and diced small (optional)
Chili-Lime Dressing
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
- 2 teaspoons honey (or agave nectar)
- 3/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Make the skillet roasted corn. Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the corn and saute for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until the kernels are nicely browned and charred on all sides. Set aside to cool.
- Make the dressing. In a jar with a fitted lid, add the fresh lime zest, fresh lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic, honey, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Seal the jar and give it a good shake until everything is well combined. Don’t have a jar? Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.
- Assemble the cowboy caviar. In a large bowl, add the cooled roasted corn, black-eyed peas, black beans, tomatoes, red bell pepper, green bell pepper, red onion, jalapeño pepper, and chopped cilantro.
- Toss everything together and serve. Drizzle the prepared chili-lime dressing over the mixture. Toss gently and serve. For the best flavor, let the cowboy caviar rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving. (If you’re using avocados, wait until just before serving to add them so they don’t turn brown).
Notes
- Don’t like black-eyed peas? Use another can of black beans or pinto beans.
- Add an extra tomato if you like this dip more tomatoey.
- You can substitute with any color of bell pepper you like, such as yellow or orange. I like using red and green.
- Leftovers? Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Make it vegan by using agave nectar or maple syrup instead of honey.
- Nutrition information is a rough estimate based on 12 servings without tortilla chips.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Chopped
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 133
- Sugar: 3.4g
- Sodium: 513mg
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 0.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1.8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22.4g
- Fiber: 7g
- Protein: 6g
- Cholesterol: 0mg