Black Bean And Corn Salad: Mexican Style
Mexican black bean and corn salad is one of those dishes which is perfect for many a summer occasion. Great to accompany a barbecue, part of a buffet, a potluck dish, a side or even as a main. It’s healthy, colourful and packed full of flavour.
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When the sun is shining and it’s really too hot to turn the oven on, this Mexican dish is a lifesaver. There’s no cooking required – unless you use fresh corn cobs that is. You can probably tell I’m into bean salads at the moment.
Black Bean And Corn Salad
Like many salads, this black bean and corn salad is super easy to put together. It’s basically a case of chopping veg and a bit of grating, then mixing everything up together.
It doesn’t matter too much what order you add the ingredients, other than the avocado. See the avocado section for more on this. However, I do like to get the onions soaking in lime juice before I do anything else. CT is sensitive to raw onions, but a little pickling makes them less pungent and more digestible.
I tend to soak the onions in the lime juice, then add the other dressing ingredients and give a quick stir. It’s at this point that I’ll then add the beans and stir into the dressing. This gives the beans a chance to soak up some of the flavours whilst I get on with preparing the rest of the veg.
One of the many good things about this salad is that you can use just one bowl to mix and serve. One bowl equals less washing up – yay! Or for a better presentation, mix in one bowl and serve in another.
It’s a great salad to make for parties, potlucks and picnics as it actively benefits from a bit of marinading time. A couple of hours is perfect, but you can make it the day before you need it and keep in the fridge overnight.
Black Bean And Corn Salad: Ingredients
There’s nothing fancy in this black bean and corn salad. Pickled jalapeño peppers is the most unusual ingredient I’ve employed.
Here follows a list of the main ingredients along with various tips and info that might help you get the most out of this delicious Mexican dish.
Black Beans
Black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), also called turtle beans and frijoles negros, are brilliant for soaking up the dressing and associated flavours. They’re also tasty and very healthy too.
Native to Mexico, these small beans are ubiquitous in many Central and South American dishes. They’re my go to bean when I make anything Mexican inspired. Though they do also make a very nice Indian style black bean curry.
As with most beans, you can get okay ones, good ones and really good ones. The best are probably those you cook yourself from dried. I sometimes manage this, but by no means always.
Equivalent Weights Of Cooked And Dried Beans
When I do, I cook up a big batch in the slow cooker then freeze them in handy tin size portions. The drained weight of a 400 gram tin of black beans (15 ounces in US) is approximately 240 grams (9 ounces in US), so you’ll need 120 grams (4½ ounces in US) of dried beans.
Corn
It’s nice to use fresh corn on the cob when it’s in season. I just simmer one in slightly salted water for five minutes. However, it’s fine to use tinned sweetcorn or frozen instead. Just drain the tinned corn or cook the frozen kernels in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
For extra pizzaz, barbecue or chargrill the corn cob to give it a sweet smoky flavour. You can also stir-fry the kernels in a skillet until slightly charred.
Bell Peppers
Large fleshy bell peppers are best for this black bean and corn salad. You can use any colour you like, but my favourite for this Mexican inspired dish is orange. It contrasts nicely with the yellow corn, red tomatoes, green avocado and black beans.
Tomatoes
Use the freshest, juiciest and most delicious tomatoes you can get your hands on. Homegrown are generally the best, but I know not everyone is able to grow their own tomatoes.
We try and grow a few each year, but ours are by no means ready to harvest yet. So I generally buy them for this black bean and corn salad.
I used cherry tomatoes, but really you can use whatever ones you like best. You’ll just need to roughly chop larger tomatoes rather than quartering them.
Spring Onions (Scallions)
I love spring onions and usually have a bunch in my fridge. They are so useful and particularly so when regular onions are out of season. Try to use large firm ones for this salad. If you only have thin ones, double the quantities.
If I happen to have red onions, I’d use a small one of those instead. It gives another colour dimension to this already colourful salad. But I like the green of the scallions too. You can also use shallots or salad onions if you prefer.
Having said that, I’ve been know to finely chop a standard yellow onion and use that when it’s all I can find. As long as you soak it in the dressing first before adding any of the other ingredients, it’s good to go.
Coriander Leaves (Cilantro)
I know some people have a love hate relationship with coriander leaves (cilantro). However, I’d say they’re a near essential ingredient in this black bean and corn salad.
If you really can’t stand it, swap for a bunch of parsley instead.
Chop finely and add to the bowl. You may want to leave a few whole leaves to decorate the finished salad though.
Jalapeño Peppers
I tend to have a jar of pickled jalapeno peppers in the fridge most of the time. They’re incredibly useful for adding a little zing and heat to all sorts of dishes. But mostly I use them to make pico de gallo.
But feel free to use a fresh jalapeño instead or even swap it for a little ancho chilli powder. How much you add depends on how hot you like it, but it’s definitely worth trying a little as it adds flavour too.
Avocado
Avocado adds richness and a welcome buttery flavour. Make sure to add it at the last minute though, or it will make the salad look a little sad. Avocado doesn’t keep that well once peeled.
If you’re going to serve this black bean and corn salad with guacamole, just leave the avocado out.
Day Lillies
By the way, in case you’re wondering, the orange flower on top of the salad is a day lily. It’s not part of the recipe, though the petals are not only edible, but really quite delicious.
As the name implies, the flowers only last a day, which makes them ideal candidates for evening eating. We haven’t had many this year because of the drought, but we’ve very much admired the odd ones that have bloomed.
Black Bean And Corn Salad Dressing
The dressing for this black bean and corn salad is wonderfully flavoursome and zingy. Place all of the ingredients in the bowl before adding the veg and mix in the onions and beans first.
You can whisk all the ingredients together if you like, but you don’t really need to. They’ll get well mixed when you stir the onions in.
You Will Need
- good quality extra virgin olive oil
- a lime – zested & juiced
- ground cumin
- garlic – a microplane* is excellent for grating this
- jalapeño pickle juice – not essential but helps to give the salad a bit more piquancy.
I sometimes add a pinch or two of smoked chipotle chilli powder. If you like smoky notes, try some.
How To Serve Black Bean And Corn Salad
You can eat black bean and corn salad just as it is for a light lunch or even a main meal. For something a little more substantial serve it with tortilla chips. Some grated cheddar cheese or crumbled feta on top are a nice addition as is a spoonful of sour cream.
It also works well as a side dish. Perfect in fact as part of a Mexican inspired feast. It goes well with my Mexican brown rice as well as these corn spinach polenta triangles. It’s absolutely not to be missed in veggie burritos.
Or why not serve it in individual bowls with tortilla chips as a salsa starter?
I made a huge bowl of it recently as part of a family get together lunch. Feta cheese went into the mix, but not avocado. I served it with guacamole, potato salad, Moroccan carrot dip, tortilla chips and tortilla bread. A bit of a mish mash, but it went down really well.
Other Black Bean Recipes You Might Like
- Black bean brownies
- Black bean bulgur wheat salad
- Black bean curry bowls
- Cocoa refried beans
- Egg & beans on toast
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this black bean and corn salad, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Black Bean & Corn Salad. PIN IT.
Black Bean And Corn Salad
Black Bean And Corn Salad
Ingredients
- 3 spring onions (scallions)
- 1 corn on the cob
- 400 g tinned black beans (1 can) – rinsed and drained
- 1 large sweet pepper any colour will do (I used orange)
- 8 cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 pickled jalapeño pepper can use a fresh one instead
- 1 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro) small bunch
- 1 ripe avocado
Dressing
- 1 lime juice and zest
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsp jalapeño pickle juice (optional)
- 1 clove garlic grated
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- good grinding of black pepper
Instructions
- Slice the spring onions and place in a large bowl. Zest the lime and add together with the lime juice. Give the onions a brief stir.3 spring onions (scallions), 1 lime
- Cover the corn cob, if using, in boiling water and add a pinch of salt. Simmer for five minutes or until tender. Allow to cool a little, then using a sharp knife cut the kernels from the cob.1 corn on the cob
- Whilst the corn is cooking, add the remaining dressing ingredients to the bowl.2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tsp jalapeño pickle juice, 1 clove garlic, ¼ tsp ground cumin, ¼ tsp sea salt, good grinding of black pepper
- Stir in the black beans so that they’re all well coated. Check the beans at this point to see if they’re tasty enough. You might want to add some more salt at this point.400 g tinned black beans
- Now prepare the veg. Deseed and core the pepper, then cut into lengths and chop into small pieces. Add to the bowl along with the corn kernels and tomatoes. Finely chop the coriander and jalapeño pepper and add to the bowl.1 large sweet pepper, 8 cherry tomatoes, 1 pickled jalapeño pepper, 1 bunch coriander leaves (cilantro)
- Give everything a good stir, then leave to marinade for at least an hour. Or keep in the fridge overnight.
- Just before serving, cube the avocado into cubes and stir into the salad.1 ripe avocado
- Finish with a few whole coriander leaves if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for Mexican black bean salad with The Rare Welsh Bit for #CookBlogShare.
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Such a vibrant and healthy salad. Perfect for the last throws of summer heat in the garden (although sadly our home-grown corn has long been eaten) xx
Ooh homegrown corn. How wonderful. I don’t know why but we’ve never grown sweetcorn. We grew some blue corn one year which was quite fun, but it wasn’t particularly sweet.
Super tasty and satisfying black bean corn salad
It absolutely is Nancy. I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s one of our favourite bean salads.
this bean and corn salad turned out so delicious! love how easy it is to whip up and how nutritious it is too!
I love an easy to make delicious salad. Thanks for letting me know you like my Mexican bean salad too.
Love this corn salad so much! It’s a delicious dip and salad!
So glad you like it Katie, it’s one of our favourite summer salads.
beans corn capsicum? yay sounds great.
It’s just so easy to make delicious food with summer produce.
Very fresh and full of flavours…simply a perfect summer salad!
Thank you Angie. I adore Mexican flavours, so this is a real win-win for me.