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One of the snacks that my friend Jenny brought to our Avenue of the Giants camping trip,was cowboy caviar, a bean and avocado based salad that is greatfor chip-dipping.I thought it was the perfect food for camping! It keeps well in the cooler, it’s hearty and filling and is great as a snack between meals when you are hungry after hiking or swimming. Because Jenny made this disha day in advance, the avocado browned a bit, but it was still very tasty. I wound up eatingmost of thelarge container she brought along!I asked her to share her recipe…
Cowboy Caviar Recipe
Healthy, hearty,and packed with protein. It’s one of my favorite easy camping recipes!
Ingredients
DRESSING:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper to taste (may be spiced with Tabasco)
SOLID STUFF:
1 can black-eyed peas, drained (or black white, or pinto beans)
1 can corn
1 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup tomatoes seeded and chopped (or unseeded Roma tomatoes are fine)
2 avocados, diced (more or less to taste)
Instructions
This dish couldn’t be more easy! Just combine ingredients for the dressing then mix in solid stuff. Serve with tortilla chips.
If you are making it a day ahead and can avoid it, don’t add the tomatoes and avocados until just before you serve it. I suspect adding a squeeze of lemon to the finished dishwill keep the avocados from browning, but I haven’t tried that yet.
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Comments
Blairesays
I made this today for my friends barbecue. Absolutely delicious and super easy. I think everyone will love this healthy, fresh dish. Thanks for the recipe!
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Cassie Kifersays
Glad to hear you liked it, Blaire! We’re going on our first camping trip of the year this weekend and we’ll be making it again. It’s such an easy and hearty snack to have on hand!
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Jennsays
I put some on my burger. Delicious!!
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Cassie Kifersays
Yum, great idea! Glad you liked it, Jenn!
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Amandasays
I had high hopes for this dish. Sadly, it turned out a bit oily. It may have been the olive oil I used (evoo) but it was way to saturated. If I could call a do-over, I would have have cut the oil down to much less than what was called for. I’d use less than 1/4 cup.
Reply
Cassie Kifersays
Shoot, sorry it wasn’t quite for you. Thanks for sharing this modification! Less oil makes it healthier, too 🙂
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Annsays
Where, exactly, are these troublesome avocados? Still looks good, just a bit confused by your post and the picture.
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Cassie Kifersays
Hi Ann! We made the dish a day or two before, so the avocados turned brown by the time we got to the campsite (after being hauled in the car in the cooler for so long). I didn’t take a photo of what the dish looked like then, but it was still tasty! Sorry for the confusion!
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Annsays
Ok, they are not included on your ingredient list either. Looks good though! Can’t wait to try it this weekend.
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Cassie Kifersays
Ann–oh my gosh! This post has been shared thousands of times, and you are the first person who noticed that I left avocados off the list! Thank you! I’ll add it right now. Sadly, I can’t remember the number I used? One or two? or three? Let me know what you do, and what you think 🙂
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Kristensays
How many doest his feed? Our family coming trip has 20 people, should I double? Thanks
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Cassie Kifersays
Hi Kristen, we have 6 adults and it’s enough for a hearty snack for all of us, but I’d double this for a big group. Have a great trip!
Reply
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How long can you keep Cowboy Caviar in the fridge? If stored in an airtight container this dip can be kept in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Keep in mind, the longer your dip sits in the fridge the more excess liquid that will accumulate. Just drain off excess juices and enjoy!
Texas caviar, also called cowboy caviar, is a bean salad consisting of black-eyed peas lightly pickled in a vinaigrette-style dressing, often eaten as a dip accompaniment to tortilla chips.
WELL, the Cowboy Caviar is full of different colorful plants such as peppers, jalapeno, tomatoes, onion, corn, cilantro, and more which means a large variety of nutrients in every bite! The punch of nutrition packed with the fiber rich beans is a great gut-friendly combo to enjoy!
Cowboy caviar keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. If you're making it ahead, wait to add the avocado until right before serving.
How long does Cowboy's Caviar keep unopened? If the package is unopened it has a one year shelf life from date of production. The best before date will be stamped on the package. It will look like bb/ma (ma is french for best before) followed by the date.
After Bria's recipe got popular on TikTok, several people called her out for cultural appropriation, claiming that cowboy caviar was a white-washed version of the popular Mexican salsa, pico de gallo, which is traditionally made with chopped tomato, onion, serrano peppers, and cilantro.
Cowboy caviar was coined in Texas in the 1940s, but it's similar to different traditional dips and side dishes from Hispanic and Latine cuisines. It usually includes black-eyed peas — whose spots can resemble caviar — but the ingredients are pretty customizable.
It can also be found in the Black Sea basin and occasionally in the Adriatic Sea. Beluga caviar is the most expensive type of caviar, with market prices ranging from $7,000 to $22,000/kg ($3,200 to $10,000/lb).
Among the sturgeon species, the Beluga sturgeon is particularly renowned for producing the most sought-after and expensive caviar. However, it's essential to note that wild sturgeon, especially the Beluga, are now considered endangered species due to overfishing.
Cowboy caviar is made with black-eyed peas and black beans, chopped tomatoes, corn, bell pepper, onion and cilantro tossed in tangy Italian dressing. I typically think of cowboy caviar as a warm weather salad, but it's made with ingredients that are readily available year-round.
If kept in an unopened vacuum-sealed container in a household refrigerator, most caviars last four to six weeks. It should be stored just around freezing point but not fully frozen.
For the best possible quality, caviar should be consumed within 3 days of opening. Usually, once the container has lost its vacuum the product should be eaten within a few days to a week max to ensure the best tasting quality and safety.
A strong, fishy odor indicates spoilage. Color and Appearance: Any significant changes in color or appearance can be a sign of deterioration. Texture: The eggs should be firm yet delicate. If they become mushy or overly hard, the caviar is likely spoiled.
We recommend consuming caviar within 3 weeks of purchasing, but when stored correctly, small tins of vacuum sealed caviar can last 3-6 months, larger tins up to a year. The ideal temperature for storing unpasteurized caviar is 24° – 38° to preserve optimal quality.
Introduction: My name is Pres. Lawanda Wiegand, I am a inquisitive, helpful, glamorous, cheerful, open, clever, innocent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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