Black-eyed pea and corn salad delivers a bold Southern delicacy with wonderful textures starring black-eyed peas, corn, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and avocado with a luscious, sweet, citrusy salad dressing. An ideal make-ahead for tailgates, picnics, barbecues, and potlucks.Â
Black-eyed pea has a flavor that outshines all other legumes. No wonder it’s hailed all around the world and enjoyed in so many tasty ways.
This North African native is close to my heart, so when the weather is blistering outside, I love this guy in a salad. Healthy, delicious, and easy, what more could we want?
Why Turn Black-Eyed Peas and Corn Into a Salad
Traditionally, Southerners serve black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day to bring good luck and prosperity for the year. That’s because the black-eyed peas resemble pennies or coins. Did I ever tell you how good for us they are?
Turning black-eyed peas into a salad makes for a versatile and easily customizable dish that’s perfect any time of year (New Year’s resolutions?). And since I can’t help Immafying everything, here is my take on an ordinary ingredient for an extraordinary recipe.
How to Make Black-Eyed Pea and Corn Salad
Cooking Black-Eyed Peas
To make your own peas instead of using canned:
- Rinse 1-1½ cups of dried black-eyed pea beans and pick out and discard foreign objects.
- Soak – Cover beans with water in a large pot with 3-4 inches of cold water. Put the lid on and soak overnight or for a couple of hours.
- Drain the soaked beans, rinse, and place the beans in a Dutch oven or pressure cooker.
- Cook – Follow the instructions for cooking them in your pressure cooker. It takes roughly 8-12 minutes to cook. To cook them in a stockpot or Dutch oven, cook the beans for 30-60 minutes, depending on how tender you like them. (Photos 1-3)
Making the Salad
- Juice the orange, lemon, and lime into a non-reactive bowl. Add the cumin, honey, garlic, onion, oil, and fresh herbs. Whisk well, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Black-Eyed Peas – Drain and rinse cooked or canned beans and place in a large bowl. Repeat this process for the corn. Add the diced red onion, cucumbers, bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes. Dice avocados and drizzle with lemon to prevent discoloration before adding to the salad.
- Dress – Pour the dressing over the salad, stir well to coat the vegetables with the dressing, cover, and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving. Stir in occasionally so the flavors meld. (Photo 4)
- Serve – Stir one more time and enjoy.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Dressing swap. Use your favorite bottled vinaigrette to save time. No judgment. 😉
- Add feta cheese for added protein and flavor.
- Add a dash of hot sauce to the dressing for a kick of heat. And if it’s not enough, dice a jalapeno, habanero, or scotch bonnet pepper into the salad.
- Ham and bacon are savory additions that turn it into a one-dish meal.
- Soaking black-eyed peas makes cooking faster, but you only need 10 more minutes to cook unsoaked beans.
Make-Ahead & Leftovers
Assemble and dress the salad except for the avocado and store it in the fridge. It tastes even better the next day. Stir in the avocado when ready to serve.
The citrus dressing stays fresh for a week or two in the refrigerator. Feel free to use it on any salad.
Perfect Pairings With Black-Eyed Pea and Corn Salad
Grilled meat goes fantastically with bean salads. Try grilled lamb chops or pompano, depending on your mood. Broiled salmon is excellent if you don’t want to light the grill.
More Amazing Recipes for Your New Year
By Imma
This blog post was originally published in June 2017 and has been updated with additional tips and beautiful photos
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