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Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Here comes luck, wealth, and health wrapped in a colorful Mexican black-eyed pea salad! Tender little beans with their black-eyed wink, with crunchy red pepper, cucumber, minced jalapeño chile, and cilantro–this festive salad is quick and easy to make.

Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad in a glass bowl with serving spoons

¡Feliz Año Nuevo! Black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day is a tradition worth keeping. And since we’re celebrating in Baja Mexico, this year I’m making a politely-spiced black-eyed salad zesty with south of the border flavors.

Click here to PIN Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad recipe!

They say to represent wealth for the new year, we should include some sort of green with our black-eyed peas. Typically, collards are the green, particularly in the southern US. I figure cilantro covers for the green, though if you want to make sure you’re in the money, stir in some chopped arugula or spinach. This bean salad is also good on a bed of mixed lettuce greens.

ingredients for Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad

Like they do in the lone star state, this Mexican black-eyed pea salad can be a dip to serve with tortilla chips. Then it would be called Texas caviar!

Add corn kernels and mango chunks and you turn this salad into a delicious unique relish. Serve alongside a protein, maybe golden sautéed tofu.

The jalapeño chile zing is pleasingly fresh, sort of citrusy, and really quite mild. If your heat quotient is low–that is if you prefer less spicy heat– just use half of a jalapeño chile.

overhead photo of Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad with blue and green background

Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad kitchen notes:

  • Black-eyed peas are easy to cook from scratch: Add 1 ½ cups rinsed beans to a large pot with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook 30 minutes or so, until just tender. Even faster–cook un-soaked beans in a pressure cooker 9 to 10 minutes, then quick release the pressure.
  • You can swap a serrano chile in for the jalapeño, serranos having more picante spice than jalapeños. As with all green chiles, to focus on flavor not heat, remove the seeds and veins, which carry the most heat.
  • About removing the seeds and veins from small chiles: I’ve been using a grapefruit spoon to scrape out the seeds and veins. Cut the chile lengthwise in quarters and hold the stem end while scraping out the seeds, or hold the chile down with a fork, trying not to touch the chile. Wearing gloves is a very good idea, while touching the eyes is not.

More New Year’s Day black-eyed pea dishes from Letty’s Kitchen:

Thank you dear readers, for being here, for subscribing, cooking and commenting this past year. It’s my wish that my recipes encourage you into the kitchen to cook delicious healthful food. As we head into a New Year, may good luck, excellent health, and abundance flow to you easily.

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This recipe is an update of the one I published originally for New Year’s 2017!

9 comments

  • I hope to have a little Baja in my immediate future as well. Maybe a spoonful of Mexican Black Eyed Peas will bring me the luck I need to make it happen. GREG Reply · 4 January, 2017

    • Thanks Greg! Are you planning on Valle de Guadalupe again? Reply · 8 January, 2017

  • Megan

    This is one of my favorites! Just made a huge batch to take to a New Year’s Day party! Letty, thank you for sharing all of your tasty recipes! Reply · 1 January, 2018

  • Marcy youker

    I will make it for New Years,sound delicious, thanks for sharing your recipes and life. Reply · 20 December, 2018

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