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    Home » Recipes » Side Dishes - Salads

    By Carol Published: Jul 30, 2014 Modified: Sep 29, 2021 | This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure.

    Black-Eyed Pea Salad

    Jump to Recipe
    5 from 2 votes
    1 hour

    Black-Eyed Pea Salad is a spicy light, warm-weather twist on classic Southern comfort food.  Perfect with anything you're grilling or on its own as a healthy lunch!

    Photo of Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad in white bowl garnished with cilantro and lemon wedges.

    Spicy Black-Eyed Pea salad is a warm-weather favorite of ours that I've been making for years!  In addition, black-eyed peas are more than a New Year's good-luck charm, they can be used to make this great Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad you'll crave all year long.

    TABLE OF CONTENTS - Click the Icon to Find the Info You Need FAST!

    • Are black-eyed peas really peas?
    • Tips for cooking black-eyed peas:
    • When to use canned versus fresh peas:
    • Tips for making Black-Eyed Pea Salad:
    • More summery salads you'll love:
    • Black-Eyed Pea Salad
      • Equipment
      • Ingredients  1x2x3x
      • Instructions 
      • Notes
      • Nutrition

    Are black-eyed peas really peas?

    Though called peas, black-eyed peas are actually beans. Regardless of what you call them, they are legumes that are very good for you.  Black-eyed peas are high in fiber, iron, potassium and zinc.

    Photo of Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad in white bowl with serving spoon garnished with lemon wedges.

    Tips for cooking black-eyed peas:

    • If you have or can find fresh black-eyed peas, by all means, use them.
    • Dried black-eyed peas cook quickly in comparison to other dried beans, so they don't require overnight soaking.  Black-eyed peas can be cooked in the amount of time it takes you to prep the other ingredients for this salad.
    • Don't add salt to the cooking water; it will prevent the peas from softening up--as will any type of acid.

    When to use canned versus fresh peas:

    Canned black-eyed peas can be used in a pinch for this Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad.  The texture will not be as good and canned beans have to be rinsed well because they'll be very salty.

    A good rule of thumb when deciding whether to use canned beans versus cooking from dry is how prominent they will be in your dish.  If the beans make up a good part of the dish, it's best to start with dry beans.

    If your dish has a wide range of textures and the beans are simply one ingredient, you can get away with using canned black-eyed peas.

    Photo of Spicy Black-Eyed Pea Salad in white bowl on light blue background with serving spoon garnished with lemon and cilantro.

    Tips for making Black-Eyed Pea Salad:

    • Fresh jalapeños are a must in this salad.  Jarred, pickled peppers are convenient and deliver heat, but they taste out of place with all the other fresh, assertive flavors.
    • We leave the seeds and membrane in for more heat, but you can remove them to tone down the heat.  If you're not used to working with hot peppers, wear gloves, and do not touch your eyes.
    • After combining the salad ingredients, refrigerate about 30 minutes for the flavors to marry.

    This salad is great on its own or with grilled or otherwise simply-prepared fish, seafood, chicken, pork or beef such as a flank steak.

    Photo of salad in white bowl on pale blue background with white and yellow towel in the background.

    More summery salads you'll love:

    • Tunisian Salad Platter (or Assiette Tunisienne)
    • Lemony Broccoli, Barley and White Bean Salad
    • Greek Orzo Pasta Salad
    • Cauliflower Artichoke Tabbouleh
    • Middle Eastern Vegetable Salad
    • Quinoa Tabbouleh with Grilled Vegetables
    • Cauliflower Antipasto Salad
    • Cucumber Red Onion Feta Cheese Salad
    • Greek Vegetable Salad with Marinated Feta Cheese

    Black-Eyed Pea Salad

    5 from 2 votes
    By: Carol | From A Chef's Kitchen
    Black-Eyed Pea Salad is a spicy light, warm-weather twist on classic Southern comfort food.  Perfect with anything you're grilling or on its own as a healthy lunch!
    PRINT RECIPE PIN RECIPE TEXT INGREDIENTS TO PHONE SAVE RECIPE Saved!
    Prep Time 30 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 1 hr
    Course Main Course / Dinner Salads
    Cuisine American
    Servings 8
    Calories 406 kcal

    Equipment

    • Saucepan
    • Wusthof Chef Knife
    • Cutting Board
    • Glass Mixing Bowls

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pound dried black-eyed peas
    • 3 medium cucumbers
    • 1 medium red onion - finely chopped
    • 5 medium tomatoes - seeded and finely chopped
    • 2 jalapeño peppers - finely chopped
    • 1 small bunch cilantro - chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic - minced
    • ¾ cup fresh lemon juice
    • ¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste

    Instructions
     

    • Bring a saucepan of unsalted water to a boil. Add the black-eyed peas and cook 25 to 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and cool under running water; drain again.
    • While the peas are cooking, prepare the vegetables. With a vegetable peeler, remove half of the cucumber skin, leaving thin strips of green all the way around. Cut into quarters lengthwise, remove the seeds and chop.
    • Transfer to a bowl and add the chopped onion, tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro and garlic. Add the cooled peas, lemon juice and olive oil and stir to combine.
    • Season to taste with salt and pepper and more lemon juice if desired.
    • Refrigerate 30 minutes before serving.

    Notes

    MAKE AHEAD:  Cook the black-eyed peas, cool and drain.  Chop the vegetables and combine them with the black-eyed peas.  Cover and refrigerate.  Make the dressing, cover and refrigerate separately.  Leave the cilantro out until ready to serve.  When ready to serve, pour the dressing over and add the cilantro.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 8 | Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 977mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 830IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 5mg

    These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.

    Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment, star rating or post your photo on Instagram and tag @fromachefskitchen.

    More Side Dishes - Salads

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    • 25 Best Beet Salad Recipes
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    Categories: Side Dishes - Salads

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Susan@LunaCafe says

      January 01, 2015 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful post, Carol! I'm always looking for interesting, filling salad ideas. Black eyed peas are so pretty, I really need to use them more often. Looking forward to exploring your blog. 🙂

      Reply
    2. pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says

      January 01, 2015 at 12:11 pm

      What a perfect way to enjoy black-eyed peas in the summer! Mine are cooking in the slow cooker right now for all that Southern good luck!

      Reply
    3. Susan@LunaCafe says

      January 01, 2015 at 12:39 pm

      5 stars
      What a wonderful post, Carol! I'm always looking for interesting, filling salad ideas. Black eyed peas are so pretty, I really need to use them more often. Looking forward to exploring your blog. 🙂

      Reply
    4. Debra @ Worth Cooking says

      August 09, 2014 at 5:56 am

      I have not tried black eyed peas since growing up. We had them for most new years (my mom is from VA), but that was about it. This looks delicious. I did not know they cooked so quickly!

      Reply
      • Carol says

        August 09, 2014 at 7:37 am

        Hi, Debra, I've always found they cook quickly as long as there is no salt in the water. I think the reason they have a reputation for taking hours to cook is because of the ham hock, bacon, etc. that is usually added to flavor them. Acid also prevents beans from softening up. I've made that mistake before!

        Reply

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