Not a fan of traditional caviar, with the tell-tale strong, salty overtones? Have no fear! This easy, non-fish-egg version of an otherwise pricey delicacy will have you digging in, pronto! It’s Craveable Cowboy Caviar to the rescue!
Caviar isn’t everyone’s cup of, well, fish eggs. While I love just about anything with a big salty punch, I have to admit that most caviar I’ve tried is a bit overwhelming even for my palate. So when we moved to Texas, I was surprised to hear people talking about their various recipes for “Cowboy Caviar”. Um, aren’t cowboys generally found with, oh I don’t know, COWS? Or at least other land-based livestock?
Enter Texas creativity. Leave it to those in this neck of the woods to come up with what they figure look like eggs, but aren’t. Caviar is little fish eggs, which are round. What else is round, and much more plentiful here on land? Beans! Beans are (kind of) round, so why not toss them together and create a party food that is a bit more appealing?
Luckily for me, not only has my father-in-law been providing fresh Summer tomatoes (which I’ve been using for everything from fresh salsa to tomato flatbread), but he also brought us a big jar of fresh black eyed peas. Yum! If you don’t have fresh, feel free to use the canned ones. Same meaty texture, and probably more convenient!
What I love about this creation is that:
- Every household has their own recipe.
- You can change it up based on your palate.
- It looks different depending on what you may have in your pantry.
The variety comes when you get creative and add things like red onions, or jalapenos, or pinto beans instead of black beans. Variety, AND you can sound fancy when you tell people you’re serving caviar. Yee-haw!
Giddy up and grab yourself some Craveable Cowboy Caviar! You’ll be feeling Cowboy fancy faster than you can saddle up!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 8 people | 10 minutes |
| Passive Time |
| 30 minutes |
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Want to feel fancy but don't want to make a fuss about it? Grab a few pantry staples, spruce them up with a couple fresh ingredients and you've got yourself a craveable snack that's fit for a crowd, or an afternoon of binge-watching your favorite show.
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- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup roasted corn on the cob, removed from cob
- 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 1 cup black eyed peas, drined & rinsed
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 small lime, juiced
- 1 tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- tortilla chips, for serving
- Rinse and drain the black beans and black eyed peas. Dice the tomatoes.
- If using fresh corn on the cob, place it over a bundt pan to help catch the kernels as you carefully cut them from the cob. If using canned corn, drain and rinse the kernels.
- Place the first 5 ingredients (through cilantro) in a large bowl.
- Toss with juice of lime.
- Add salt & pepper; toss to incorporate.
- Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight to allow flavors to meld.
- Serve with your favorite corn chips, toss into salads, or use as a topping for burgers or hot dogs.
I love this stuff, so I totally need to try your version asap. I can eat it right out of the bowl or pile it on a burger. The possibilities are endless. This is a total must make.
Yummy this cowboy caviar looks so fresh and good must try soon =)
I could take out a whole bowl of this just by myself! Yum 😀
Happy for you can always get fresh tomatoes for almost everything… my mother in law also plants some but not really much produce many tomatoes. your salad looks superb! Glad to know food from other places.
This looks delicious! I bet it would be a great party food.