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.

¡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.

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.

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 45 minutes or so, until tender. Even faster–cook un-soaked beans in a pressure cooker 10 to 11 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:

• Black-eyed pea and collards—flavor mélange in a pot.
• Hoppin’ John fritters with collards and “soysage”.

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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Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Mexican Black-eyed Pea Salad with Lime Vinaigrette

Tender black-eyed peas, tossed with crunchy red pepper, cucumber, fresh jalapeño pepper and cilantro, dressed in a tangy lime vinaigrette--this is an easy potluck salad all year long. Makes about 5 cups. Serves 6 to 10, depending of course on portion size.

Prep Time20 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: black-eyed peas, lime dressing

Servings: 8 people

Author: Letty | @lettyskitchen

Ingredients

• 3.25 cups cooked black-eyed peas, 2 (15-ounce) cans rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper (½-inch chunks)
• ½ cup cucumber peeled, seeded and diced in ½ inch chunks
• 1 each jalapeño chile ,seeded and finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons fresh-squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, as needed

Instructions

• Mix the black-eyed peas, onions, red bell pepper, jalapeño chile, and cilantro in a bowl.
• In another bowl, whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, mustard, garlic, oregano, salt, and a generous grind of black pepper.
• Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
• Refrigerate at least one hour to allow the flavors to blend. Taste before serving—you may need to add more salt.
• Serve chilled.

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 153mg | Potassium: 262mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 601IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

Did you make this recipe?Mention @lettyskitchen or tag #lettyskitchen

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