Carolina (or Redneck ... or Texas ...) Caviar

Carolina Caviar ... Redneck Caviar ... or Texas Caviar. -- Whatever you call it, this simple and flavorful dip with black-eyed peas is just plain delicious. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips for dipping. Or, enjoy it as a tasty bean salad.

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I've heard this dip-able concoction called various names, including Carolina Caviar, Texas Caviar, and Redneck Caviar. While I think Redneck Caviar is the most humorous, since I live in North Carolina I'm going to call it Carolina Caviar. But feel free to change the name up to whatever you prefer!

Carolina Caviar is a simple and flavorful dip of finely-chopped vegetables mixed with black-eyed peas and a tangy, vinegar-based dressing. In the past, I had always bought this pre-made at the grocery store deli, but then discovered a wonderfully flavorful Carolina Caviar recipe for making my own at home.

I put my homemade Carolina Caviar up for a head-to-head taste test with my former go-to store bought version. -- And the homemade won by a landslide. Probably needless to say, I've been a homemade Carolina Caviar convert all the way ever since.

Serve the Carolina Caviar deliciousness with crackers, tortilla chips, or baguette slices for dipping. Or, enjoy it as a flavorful bean salad side dish. Either way, this stuff's just plain delicious.

Carolina Caviar ... Redneck Caviar ... or Texas Caviar. -- Whatever you call it, this simple and flavorful dip is just plain delicious.

What's to Love About This Recipe?

• Super easy to make - With just a little chopping and no cooking involved, Carolina Caviar comes together with all of about 15 minutes of effort. It's simply super easy to make.
• Flavorful - With its mix of chopped fresh vegetables, black-eyed peas, and a tangy, vinegar-based dressing, Carolina Caviar is loaded with fabulous flavor.
• A healthier dipping treat - Pass over those rich creamy dips and dig into this healthier vegetable-packed, flavor-packed dip instead!
• A dip or a side - Enjoy Carolina Caviar as a dip with tortilla chips, crackers, or baguette, -- or serve it up as a flavorful bean salad side. Either way, it's delicious!

Carolina Caviar Ingredients:

Carolina Caviar is made up of 2 components -- the bean/vegetable mixture itself, and a flavorful dressing.

For the vegetable mixture, you'll need:

• Black-eyed peas - The foundation of Carolina Caviar. Canned black-eyed peas are the perfect texture for this dish, and very convenient to use. Simply drain and rinse the peas, and they're good to go. Look for canned black-eyed peas in the vegetable aisle of the grocery store, alongside other canned beans.

• Sweet bell pepper -  Red, yellow, or orange bell pepper works fabulously in this recipe. Or, use a combination of 2 or all 3 colors of pepper for an extra-beautiful vegetable mixture.

• Red onion - Finely chopped red onion brings flavor and a nice pop of color to the mix. Sweet Vidalia onion can be substituted, contributing flavor but not the same color pop as red onion.

• Cilantro -  Adds wonderful flavor to the Carolina Caviar. If you're not a cilantro fan, substitute chopped fresh parsley instead.

For the dressing, you'll need:

• White wine vinegar - A mild vinegar that brings fabulous flavor to the Carolina Caviar. We recommend sticking with white wine vinegar rather that substituting other vinegars, as white wine vinegar just has a really nice subtle flavor. With that said, cider vinegar would probably work just fine.

• Canola oil - Vegetable or a mild olive oil can be substituted.

• Brown sugar - A small bit of light brown sugar brings a hint of rich sweetness to the Carolina Caviar, nicely rounding out the flavors of the dressing.

• Salt & pepper - Seasons the dressing and vegetable mixture. Adjust the amounts to personal taste.

How to Make Carolina Caviar:

Carolina Caviar is really easy to make. With just a little chopping and no cooking involved, it comes together with all of about 15 minutes of effort.

To get a bowl of homemade Carolina Caviar going, start by chopping up some sweet bell pepper, red onion, and cilantro. For the bell peppers, you can use red, yellow, orange, or a combination of those colors.

Combine the chopped veggies and cilantro with drained canned black-eyed peas. Then toss everything together with a simple dressing of white wine vinegar and canola oil with some salt, pepper, and a touch of light brown sugar.

That's it! -- Super easy, right?

Serve the finished Carolina Caviar immediately, or refrigerate it to serve later. If refrigerated, it tastes best if you let it come back to room temperature for serving rather than serving it chilled.

So whatever you decide to call it, ... Carolina Caviar ... Redneck Caviar ... or Texas Caviar ... this quick, easy, and healthy little snack or salad is absolutely delicious. -- And well worth the effort to make your own at home.

Check out these other tasty dips & spreads:

• Homemade Pimento Cheese
• Homemade Boursin Cheese Spread
• Simple Olive Oil Bread Dip
• Mixed Olive Tapenade
• Pineapple Cheese Ball
• Easy Shrimp & Cream Cheese Appetizer
• Rosemary Cheese Spread
• How to Make Hummus
• Sweet Potato Hummus
• More appetizers & snacks

Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!

Carolina caviar recipe, Texas caviar recipe, Redneck caviar recipe, bean salad recipe

Appetizers & Snacks

Southern

Yield: about 3 cups

Author: Tracey | The Kitchen is My Playground

Carolina Caviar

Carolina Caviar ... Redneck Caviar ... or Texas Caviar. -- Whatever you call it, this simple and flavorful dip with black-eyed peas is just plain delicious. Serve with crackers or tortilla chips for dipping. Or, enjoy it as a tasty bean salad.

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

Ingredients

Vegetable mixture:

• 2 (15 oz.) cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 of a sweet bell pepper (yellow, red, or orange), finely chopped
• 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

Dressing:

• 1/4 c. white wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 1/2 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine black-eyed peas, bell pepper, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together white wine vinegar, oil, brown sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing mixture over vegetable mixture and toss to coat.
3. This may be served immediately or refrigerated to serve later. If refrigerated, it tastes best if you let it come back to room temperature for serving rather than serving chilled.
4. Serve with tortilla chips, crackers, or baguette slices for dipping. Or, enjoy as a bean salad side dish.

TRACEY'S NOTES:

1. The vegetables included can be adjusted to personal preference.
2. If you don't like cilantro, substitute chopped fresh parsley instead.
3. I recommend sticking with white wine vinegar rather that substituting other vinegars, as white wine vinegar just has a really nice subtle flavor. With that said, cider vinegar would probably work just fine.

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