If you’re looking for a bean salad with substance that can serve as a dip, a condiment, a side dish or even a vegetarian entrée, than you must make Cowboy Caviar a part of your summer cookout repertoire. Also called Texas Caviar, this protein-packed salad is amazing and so very versatile.
It has its origin in Texas, hence the alternate name. This salad was invented in 1940 by chef Helen Corbitt, who was later to head up the culinary world at Neiman Marcus in Dallas. The tongue-in-cheek name Texas Caviar stuck, obviously a nod to the amusing disconnect of a bean salad being compared to fancy, pricey fish roe. Since then, it’s become more commonly known as Cowboy Caviar and very popular throughout the Southwest and all of the country.
This bean, corn and vegetable salad is made with a simple vinaigrette-type dressing usually spiked with lime juice and some sort of hot chili pepper. It’s got those great Southwestern/Tex-Mex flavors, so it goes well with any kind of meal in that arena, not to mention pretty much any grilling or barbecue menu. You can enjoy it as a salad, as a salsa or — as its most popularly served — as a dip for crunchy tortilla chips.
Some cooks make their cowboy or Texas caviar with black beans, some with black-eyed peas, some with a combo. After that, the most common ingredients are tomatoes, jalapeno or other chile peppers, onions, bell peppers and corn. I also like to add diced avocado, but that’s best folded in right before serving so it doesn’t turn brown and get too mushy. Minced garlic and cilantro leaves are other popular add-ins.
Sylvia Casares, chef and owner of Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen in Houston, loves it for its decisively healthy profile, its visual appeal and its simplicity: “Canned this and canned that, chop up a little of this, a little of that, add dressing — that’s it!”