Cowboy Caviar

By Margaux Laskey

Updated August 18, 2020

  • A serving of cowboy caviar, a salsa-like dip with corn, beans, tomatoes, chile and onion, sits in a bowl with tortilla chips on the right.
    David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
15 minutes, plus 2 hours’ chilling
Rating
5(4,724)
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Depending on where you’re from, this simple dip is known as cowboy caviar or Texas caviar, and it’s a favorite at tailgates and potlucks all over the South. Its creator, Helen Corbitt, a dietitian from New York, had never heard of black-eyed peas when she moved to Texas in 1931. The exact details are fuzzy, but at some point in her 40 years working in restaurants there, she combined black-eyed peas with a simple vinaigrette, and it was a big hit. The recipe has evolved over the years, and you can find a number of variations online. Some contain corn and black beans (as this one does), and others avocado. Some call for bottled Italian salad dressing, others homemade. No matter how you tweak it, it’s always good with a pile of tortilla chips.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 cups

FOR THE DRESSING

  • ⅓ cup olive oil

  • ¼ cup red wine vinegar

  • 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

FOR THE SALAD

  • 3 plum tomatoes, cored, seeded if desired, and diced

  • ½ red onion, finely diced (about ¾ cup)

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed

  • 1 (15-ounce) can black-eyed peas, rinsed

  • 1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 to 4 cobs) or thawed, drained frozen sweet corn (about 8 ounces)

  • 1 red, green or yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

  • 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced

  • ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish, if desired

  • 1 scallion, white and green parts, chopped, for garnish (optional)

  • Tortilla chips, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving

33 grams carbs; 261 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 12 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 524 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein; 3 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to combine.

  2. Step 2

    Add the tomatoes, red onion, black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, bell pepper, jalapeño and cilantro. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

  3. Step 3

    To serve, toss well and season to taste. Sprinkle with scallions and serve with tortilla chips.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,724 user ratings
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Comments

Chip

I swap lime juice for the red wine vinegar- works better with the black beans and complements avos, if you add them

Jd

Y'all need to know more about Helen Corbitt (and black-eyed peas). Miss Corbitt was a cooking legend in Texas and the Southwest for more than 40 years. As director of food services at Neiman-Marcus for nearly 15 of those years, she was the diva of the famous Zodiac Room. Several of her renowned recipes remain on Neiman's menus today. She was also an acclaimed cookbook author. (Texans MUST eat black-eyed peas for good luck on New Year's. Bc who knows what might happen if we don't

Kate

I’ve been making a version of this for years, but I like to roast the corn kernels (frozen is fine) on a sheet pan with a little oil. I let it get pretty toasty but it softens up in the dressing. Nice garnished with diced avocado.

BlueRidge

I live in the mountains of Virginia, and here we make this with cherry tomatoes cut in half, plus black-eyed peas and pinto beans rather than black beans. You’ll hear it called Mountain Caviar or Hillbilly Caviar, never cowboy caviar. But absolutely mandatory for a football season tailgate!

Marilyn Chohaney

This is the best, always reliable recipe for this famous dip. Yes, I have substituted lime juice for the vinegar. But what's great, is that I almost always have the ingredients in my pantry, freezer and veggie box. Today, I added some cumin and extra fresh cilantro; I will add diced avocado just before guests arrive.

Steve

I roast the corn to give a char flavor.

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