Texas caviar for 12: black-eyed peas, corn, peppers and onion in a tangy oil and vinegar dressing, served cold with chips. There's no cooking, so it works in any lot. Mix it the night before in about 25 minutes, let it soak up the dressing in the fridge, and keep it on ice at the lot.
Feeds: 12 (about 9 cups) · Hands-on: about 25 min · Total: about 2½ hours, mostly chilling
Home gear: a large container with a tight lid
Pack for the lot
- Texas caviar, sealed, in the cooler
- Serving bowl and a slotted spoon
- A larger bowl or pan to fill with ice under the serving bowl
- Bag of ice
- Tortilla chips
- Napkins
- Trash bags
Lot notes
- Fuel: none. No grill means it works in any lot, including ones that don't allow fires, and the grill is free for everything else.
- Holding it cold: cut tomatoes and cooked beans need to stay at 40°F or below. Keep it on ice and out of the sun, and toss anything that's been out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour when it's over 90°F.
- Keep it fresh: add the tomatoes and cilantro the morning of the game. A night in the dressing turns them soft.
- Cleanup: chips bags and napkins go in the trash bag. The container goes home.
Variation: cowboy caviar with black beans
Add black beans and a squeeze of lime and the same bowl stretches to feed about 16.
- Add: 2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed, 1 tsp lime zest and 2 tbsp fresh lime juice.
- Dressing change: use ¼ cup red wine vinegar instead of ⅓ cup, and whisk in the lime zest and juice in step 1.
- Step 2 changes: rinse the black beans until the water runs clear so they don't gray the dressing, then add them with the black-eyed peas.
- Bring 3 bags of chips instead of 2. Everything else holds the same: on ice, 40°F or below, tossed after 2 hours, or 1 hour over 90°F.
Can you make Texas caviar ahead of time?
Yes. Mix everything except the tomatoes and cilantro up to 2 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. It tastes better after a night in the dressing. Stir in the tomatoes and cilantro the morning of the game.
How do you keep Texas caviar cold at a tailgate?
Leave it in the cooler until you eat, then serve half at a time in a bowl set on ice, in the shade. Toss what's been out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour over 90°F.
How much Texas caviar do you need for 20 people?
Plan on about ¾ cup each, so 15 cups. Double the recipe: 6 cans of black-eyed peas, 2 cans of corn, 2 of each pepper, 1 red onion, 4 jalapeños, 4 tomatoes, 1 cup of cilantro and twice the dressing. That makes about 18 cups, plus 4 bags of chips.
What do you serve with Texas caviar?
Tortilla chips, especially the scoop kind. It also works as a cold side next to anything off the grill, or spooned over brats and burgers.