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Cowboy Caviar

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By Snejana Andreeva

on Jul 20, 2022, Updated May 09, 2024

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Texas caviar, also known as 🤠 Cowboy Caviar has been the latest viral trend and for great reason! It’s full of bright summertime ingredients that are bursting with flavor. The name originated in the 1940s and was created by Helen Corbitt in the state of Texas and became a popular viral trend by Bria Lemirande on TikTok. Helen Corbitt was a head chef at the time working under Neiman Marcus and was asked to create a menu using only products from Texas. This recipe became so popular that Neiman even sold it in stores. 😋 This Cowboy Caviar recipe is not the traditional recipe, just my modern take on it.

  • Why You’ll Love Cowboy Caviar
  • How to Prepare Cowboy Caviar
  • Nonna’s Tip 🥭
  • Variations and Substitutions for Cowboy Caviar
  • Similar Recipes
  • Best Served With
  • Common Questions
  • Cowboy Caviar Recipe

Why You’ll Love Cowboy Caviar

I love a good ☀️ summertime salsa, and I think this is hands-down one of the best salsa recipes out there. It is so incredibly addictive that you won’t be able to stop eating it and it’s worth all the hype. This Cowboy Caviar is incredibly delicious and refreshing , bursting with fresh summer flavors of corn, cilantro, peppers and 🥭 sweet mango. It can be enjoyed with tortilla chips, on its own, on rice, on tacos, or with seafood. It’s so versatile and you can practically add anything you enjoy.

How to Prepare Cowboy Caviar

🫒 Add olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, the juice of two limes, agave (or honey) and salt to a large bowl and then mix it all together.

🥭 Next, chop up the mango, bell peppers, poblano, tomato and herbs of choice.

🌽 Now, add the chopped veggies to the bowl with the dressing and then add in the beans and corn, and toss.

🌮 Enjoy with tortilla chips, on its own on top of rice, with seafood like shrimp, or on tacos.

Nonna’s Tip🥭

Please take your time chopping everything very finely . The magic is all in the chop. By keeping the pieces nice and small , you’ll get the perfect combination of flavors and textures in every bite.

Cowboy Caviar - 3

Variations and Substitutions for Cowboy Caviar

  1. You can absolutely use any combination of fruit in this Cowboy Caviar, such as 🍍pineapple or even ripe sweet peaches.
  2. Use whatever herbs you like in this recipe. Cilantro would be the traditional Tex-Mex option, but parsley would work here as well.
  3. Make this salsa with any type of bean you love, such as chickpeas , kidney beans or even canned lentils . You can also 💧 soak and boil your own beans instead of using organic canned ones like I did.
  4. Adjust the heat by adding more 🌶️ hot peppers or simply leaving them out if you don’t want your Cowboy Caviar to have any heat at all.
  5. For even more flavor, add in a package of taco seasoning to the salsa, but in that case you may want to omit the salt or adjust to your own taste.
  6. You can grill or boil your own 🌽 corn, use a can, or even thawed frozen corn will work in this Cowboy Caviar.

Similar Recipes

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Best Served With

  • This Cowboy Caviar is a great ☀️ summertime salsa , served with homemade or store bought tortilla chips.
  • Serve this salsa as a fresh topping on top of 🌮 tacos or in a burrito .
  • This Cowboy Caviar would be delicious served with 🍤 shrimp or salmon, or as a topping for a piece of white fish .

Common Questions

I have a whole tutorial about how to properly chop a pepper . Please check it out, it will definitely help with this recipe.

I think that diced pineapple, watermelon or peaches would absolutely work here. Also experiment by adding red onion, chives, cucumber and avocado.

I used canned organic beans in this version of a Cowboy Caviar, but you can certainly use whatever you like. If you have time, you can absolutely soak and boil your own beans. I also think that chickpeas, kidney beans or even canned lentils would work here as well.

I used a can of organic corn, but you can use whatever you have and enjoy. You can use boiled or grilled corn and then slice the kernels off the cob for this recipe, or even thawed frozen corn will work.

Yes, this recipe is a great make-ahead. Store it covered in the fridge and it should last you for at least 3 days.

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Video

Equipment

  • ▢ Nakiri Knife
  • ▢ Cutting Board
  • ▢ Mixing Bowls
  • ▢ Measuring Cups + Spoons
  • ▢ Liquid Measuring Cup

Ingredients

For the Dressing

  • ▢ ⅓ cup olive oil
  • ▢ 2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar , or red wine vinegar
  • ▢ 2 limes , juiced
  • ▢ 1 tablespoon agave , or honey
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon salt , to taste

For the Salsa

  • ▢ 1 large mango , diced, or 2 small
  • ▢ ½ red bell pepper , diced
  • ▢ ½ green bell pepper , diced
  • ▢ ½ yellow bell pepper , diced
  • ▢ 1 hot poblano pepper , finely chopped, or 2 jalapeños, optional
  • ▢ 1 tomato , finely chopped
  • ▢ 1 cup corn , frozen and thawed, grilled, canned, boiled
  • ▢ 1 can organic black beans , rinsed and drained (15 oz)
  • ▢ 1 can organic cannellini beans , rinsed and drained (15 oz)
  • ▢ ½ cup fresh cilantro , or parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

  • ▢ Add the dressing ingredients to a big bowl and give it a mix.
  • ▢ Chop up all of the veggies nice and finely and take your time doing this.
  • ▢ Add the chopped veggies to the bowl with the dressing as well as the beans, corn, and herbs of choice and mix it well. Enjoy with tortilla chips, on its own on top of rice, with seafood like shrimp, or on tacos as a topping.
  • ▢ Store it in the fridge as it should last you for at least 3 days.

My Notes

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Cowboy Caviar

Equipment

  • Nakiri Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Measuring Cups + Spoons
  • Liquid Measuring Cup

Ingredients

For the Dressing

  • ⅓ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 1 tablespoon agave or honey
  • ½ teaspoon salt to taste

For the Salsa

  • 1 large mango diced, or 2 small
  • ½ red bell pepper diced
  • ½ green bell pepper diced
  • ½ yellow bell pepper diced
  • 1 hot poblano pepper finely chopped, or 2 jalapeños, optional
  • 1 tomato finely chopped
  • 1 cup corn frozen and thawed, grilled, canned, boiled
  • 1 can organic black beans rinsed and drained (15 oz)
  • 1 can organic cannellini beans rinsed and drained (15 oz)
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

  • Add the dressing ingredients to a big bowl and give it a mix.
  • Chop up all of the veggies nice and finely and take your time doing this.
  • Add the chopped veggies to the bowl with the dressing as well as the beans, corn, and herbs of choice and mix it well. Enjoy with tortilla chips, on its own on top of rice, with seafood like shrimp, or on tacos as a topping.
  • Store it in the fridge as it should last you for at least 3 days.

Video

Nutrition

Cowboy Caviar https://themodernnonna.com/cowboy-caviar/ July 20, 2022