Black Bean & Corn Salsa

This royal black bean with corn salsa is one of my favorites and is sure to suit a full house of hungry beings. Chips and salsa reign supreme in our house, especially during summer nights when it’s too hot to cook. Francois usually loves his “Bitchin’ Almond Dip,” but especially prefers this salsa for its raw freshness.

The difference with our black bean salsa is that we temper some of the raw onion, garlic, corn, and spices in a little hot oil to cut the ‘rawness’ of the vegetables (if you’ve never done this, it’s simple to do and I walk you though it). Then, it's a quick blending of the remaining ingredients. Avocado is optional, but highly recommended for additional creamy flavor and healthy fats, while orange is essential as it adds a brightness to the salsa. Feel free to swap the orange out with other fruits to try such as mango, papaya, or whatever other juicy cards you may have up your sleeve.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

Make the salsa – in a small skillet, heat the oil. Add the chopped onion, corn kernals, chopped tomato, garlic, serrano and ancho chile. Sauté for 2 minutes. Reove fromthe heat and add to a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

Prepare the avocados –  Thinly slice each avocado half. Stretch the slices into a thin line and coil to form a circle. This will hold a serving of the black bean salsa. Alternately, chop the avocado and fold into the salsa. 

To serve – Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.

serves 6

BLACK BEAN SALSA

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • ½ medium red onion, finely chopped
  • ¾ cup corn kernels, from 1 large ear
  • ⅓ cup chopped tomatoes
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 serrano chiles, seeded and minced
  • 2 tsp ancho chile
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
  • 1 medium orange, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp red onion, chopped
  • 2 tbsp yellow tomato, chopped
  • 1 serrano chile, minced
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

FOR SERVING

  • 3 avocados, peeled
  • fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
  • tortilla chips