This is my favourite quick and healthy side dish when I’m making Mexican food and need to get some veggies on the table. My Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad is great as a side dish, in a steak taco, or as leftovers eaten straight out of the fridge. It’s an all-purpose, delicious and robust salad that’s perfect in those hot summer months (or even in the dead of winter – it’s so delicious!).
I’ve been making this salad for years, originally from Fine Cooking and now lovingly adapted into this version you see today. A bit of a spin on a cowboy caviar, it combines a salsa with a bean salad to make something truly amazing!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Freshness makes a better end product, but it’s easy to use frozen and canned ingredients and still have an amazing salad.
- Cumin seeds, or half the amount ground. Toasting and freshly grinding your spices brings out the most flavour.
- Olive oil, extra-virgin if possible. You’re not cooking with it, so you could use a higher quality, unfiltered oil here if you like the flavour of olives.
- Lime juice, fresh please! Otherwise I’d use a mix of vinegar and apple cider vinegar rather than container lime juice.
- Jalapeño, seeded, de-pithed (the spicy part!), and minced. If you want, use a serrano for a little more kick.
- Salt, for flavour! Adding in stages—rather than just being in the dressing—brings out more flavour.
- Red onion, roasted for tons of flavour.
- Corn, frozen and roasted. You can use fresh, but it’s so messy to de-cob a corn (and I’ve almost cut off a finger doing it). Two ways to prepare the fresh corn:
- 1. De-cob fresh then toss with the onions as if it were frozen.
- 2. OR grill the corn de-husked on a BBQ, then carefully de-cob the corn into the salad bowl with everything else.
- Black beans, canned is ok, but if you can make your own (I slow-cook it and freeze it), it’s even better!
- Tomatoes, don’t use canned. Fresh is best, but in a pinch in the middle of winter I have used frozen, partially thawed, then chopped (small), and added them to the salad.
- Cilantro, optional for haters.
- Avocado, optionally you can add a diced avocado. I like it but my husband prefers it without.
To Make Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad
Step 1 – Toast the Cumin
In a medium dry skillet, toast 1 tsp of cumin seeds over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly toasted (but not browned). Add the cumin seed to a mortar and pestel and crush to a powder.
Step 2 – Make the Dressing
Add the freshly ground cumin to a small bowl along with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, ¼ cup lime juice, ½ small jalapeño (seeded, pith removed, and minced), and ½ tsp of kosher salt. Stir well or shake in a jar to incorporate and set aside.
Step 3 – Brown the Onions and Corn
Preheat the same skillet you used above and add a tbsp of olive oil and 1 small thinly sliced red onion. Turn the heat up to medium or medium-high to brown (~2 minutes).
Add 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn and half the kosher salt (~¼ tsp) and continue cooking until the corn begins to brown, another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and scrape into in a large bowl.
Step 4 – Mix Together
In the same bowl as the corn and red onion, stir in 2 cups of drained and rinsed black beans, ¼ cup chopped cilantro (opt.), 2 cups chopped tomatoes, and the rest of the salt (¼ tsp). Add in 1 diced avocado if desired. Stir to combine before tossing with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving if possible to allow the flavours to mingle.
Serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with Corn and Black Bean Salad?
- Easy Salsa Verde Braised Pork Tostadas
- Crispy Baked Heart of Palm “Fish” Tacos for a protein packed meal
- Summer Mexican Rice (another great side dish)
- Vegan Enchiladas Verdes with Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Pinto Beans
- Don’t forget your Fresh Homemade Corn Tortillas!
Mexican Corn and Black Bean Salad
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a medium dry skillet, toast the cumin seeds over medium-low heat until fragrant and lightly toasted (but not browned). Add the cumin seed to a mortar and pestal and crush to a powder.
- Add the freshly ground cumin to a small bowl along with the extra-virgin olive oil, lime juice, jalapeño, and salt. Stir well to incorporate and set aside.
- Preheat the same skillet you used above and add a tbsp of olive oil and the thinly sliced red onion. Turn the heat up to medium or medium-high to brown and cook the red onion (~2 minutes).
- Add the corn and half the salt and continue cooking to brown for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a large bowl.
- In the same bowl as the corn and red onion, stir in the drained and rinsed black beans, cilantro, chopped tomatoes, and the rest of the salt. Add in 1 diced avocado if desired. Stir to combine before tossing with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours before serving if possible to allow the flavours to mingle.
