Name: Corn & Black-Eyed Pea Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 4 ears fresh corn; 2 cups black eyed peas (if dried, cooked and drained; or canned and rinsed); 2 poblano peppers (diced small, ~¼-inch); 1 jalapeno pepper (seeds and membranes removed; diced small, ~¼-inch); ½ small red onion (diced small, ~¼-inch); 1 cup grape tomatoes (quartered); ½ cup cilantro (roughly chopped); ¼ cup cider vinegar; 1 tsp ground cumin; ½ tsp chili powder; ½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika; ½ tsp granulated garlic; 1 tsp kosher salt; ¼ cup olive oil; ½ cup queso fresco (crumbled)

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I’m digging into my archives with this recipe for corn & black-eyed pea salad; I posted it in 2009 on Facebook! It recently showed up in my memories. I made it, loved it, and figured it should be shared to a wider audience (or at least in a place that’s easier for me to find in the future.)

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Corn & black-eyed pea salad is a perfect end-of-summer recipe. It makes good use of the end of corn and tomato season; if you grew peppers, you can throw them in there, too. It’s fresh, crisp, and healthy–at home at a Labor Day cook-out or in your lunchbox for a week of balanced meals.

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I think it’s also a fitting recipe because black-eyed peas signify a new year; on January first, it’s tradition to make a steaming pot of Hoppin’ John for luck and wealth in the new year. In my opinion, September also kind of feels like a new year from all of those years making a fresh start with a new school year. It’s certainly the end of the freewheeling days of summer; time to buckle down and take on some serious projects. So, this black-eyed pea salad feels like the warm weather answer to Hoppin’ John. Make it and it should bring you some luck for the rest of the year! Right?

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Corn & Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Corn & Black-Eyed Pea Salad is the perfect end of summer salad. It uses the best of the end of the summer harvest: corn, tomatoes, and peppers. It's fresh, crisp, and healthy–perfect at a cook-out or in your lunchbox for the week.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Corn, Feeds a Crowd, Healthy, Jalapeno Peppers, Poblano Peppers, Tomatoes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 8

Ingredients

4 ears fresh corn
2 cups black eyed peas if dried, cooked and drained; or canned and rinsed
2 poblano peppers diced small, ~¼-inch
1 jalapeno pepper seeds and membranes removed; diced small, ~¼-inch
½ small red onion diced small, ~¼-inch
1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
½ cup cilantro roughly chopped
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp smoked Spanish paprika
½ tsp granulated garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup queso fresco crumbled

Instructions

Husk the corn and remove all of the silk and discard silk and peels. Cut the corn off the cob and add to a large bowl.
Add the black-eyed peas, poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, red onion, cilantro, and tomato to the bowl with the corn. Mix gently with a spoon or spatula to combine.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cider vinegar, cumin, chili powder, smoked Spanish paprika, granulated garlic, kosher salt, and olive oil together until well mixed.
Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to coat well. Taste and season with more kosher salt if needed.
Fold in the cheese gently. Serve.

Notes

I really like the flavor of poblano and jalapeno peppers in this dish, but if your summer harvest included other peppers, feel free to substitute. Keep in mind that if you are using hotter peppers you might want to reduce the amount.
If you can’t find queso fresco, a crumbly, fresh Mexican cheese, a mild feta will work well.

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Corn & Black-Eyed Pea Salad