Black Bean and Corn Salsa Recipe
This black bean and corn salsa is so easy to make at home. It starts with fire roasted corn, blistered poblano peppers, and grilled vine ripened tomatoes folded into black beans with fresh lime juice and cilantro. In just over 30 minutes, I can have it ready to serve, and it instantly elevates tacos, grilled meats, burrito bowls, and pretty much anything else on the table.
Ingredients
- 5 ears un-shucked corn
- 6 vine ripe tomatoes seed removed
- 1 seeded jalapeño
- 1 seeded poblano pepper
- 1 peeled thickly sliced sweet onion
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- juice of 2 limes
- two 16-ounce cans black beans strained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions, optional
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- coarse salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to high heat (450° to 550°).
- Place the corn in the husks onto the grill and cook for 20 minutes turning every 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, drizzle the tomatoes, peppers, and sweet onions with olive oil and place on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until grill marks have formed and tender.
- Remove everything from the grill. Once cool to the touch, shuck the corn and slice off the kernels, and medium dice the tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
- Add everything to a bowl along with the beans, lime juice, green onions, cilantro, salt, and pepper and gently mix until combined.
Notes
Char is the most important part of this salsa, and a grill that isn't hot enough is the fastest way I've seen home cooks miss the mark. When the corn comes off the grates with husks barely golden and the peppers still pale, the salsa tastes like a can of beans with lime. I push the heat until I see smoke rolling off the husks before I make the first quarter turn, and the rest of the recipe falls into place.
Husks on, always: The husks protect the sugar in the kernels while the outside chars. Stripping the corn first burns the surface before the inside is tender. Twenty minutes in the husks at high heat is the move.
Dry the beans before they go in: Drained beans still carry a film of starchy liquid that dulls the lime. I drain them, rinse them under cold water, and pat them dry with a kitchen towel before they go in the bowl.
Seed the tomatoes: I scoop the seeds out before they go on the grill. Skipping that step turns the salsa into a watery puddle on the plate inside an hour.
Add the lime last: I squeeze the juice in after every other ingredient is in the bowl. Lime hitting hot vegetables turns harsh on me and makes the salsa taste dull.
Make-Ahead: I grill all the vegetables up to 24 hours ahead and hold them whole in a covered container in the fridge. I dice everything fresh on the day, then dress the bowl with lime, salt, and cilantro within 30 minutes of serving. Lime sitting on corn for hours softens the kernels.
How to Store: I pour leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate up to 2 days for the brightest flavor, though the bowl will hold up to a week in a covered container before the cilantro starts to fade.
How to Reheat: I serve this salsa cold or at room temperature. When it has been in the fridge overnight, I pull it out 15 minutes before serving so the cubes are not stiff. To warm it, I add the bowl to a large saute pan over high heat for 3 to 4 minutes.
How to Freeze: I do not recommend freezing this bowl.
Nutrition
Calories: 81kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gSodium: 9mgPotassium: 307mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 877IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 0.5mg