A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Created by Chef Remy
Sweet summer corn and creamy black beans tossed with the holy trinity of peppers and celery, bright tomatoes, and fresh cilantro, all dressed in a bold lime vinaigrette with enough Cajun spice to make you reach for seconds.
Agood salad should make you forget you are eating something healthy. This one does exactly that. It is the dish that disappears first at every family reunion, every church potluck, every backyard barbecue from Lafayette to Lake Charles. People will hunt you down for the recipe.
The secret is building flavor in layers, just like any honest Cajun cooking. The dressing gets seasoned boldly with cumin, smoked paprika, and a hit of cayenne. The beans get rinsed clean so they can absorb that dressing properly. Fresh corn brings sweetness, the bell peppers and celery add crunch, and the lime juice ties everything together with brightness that cuts through rich barbecue and fried foods.
At Lagniappe, we serve a version of this alongside our blackened catfish and smoked boudin. My grandmother Evangeline made something similar with field peas and whatever came out of her garden. The principle is the same: fresh vegetables, bold seasoning, and enough for everyone to have two helpings. That is Louisiana hospitality in a bowl.
Make this the night before your gathering. The flavors need time to get acquainted, and you will thank yourself when the morning comes and you have one less thing to worry about. When the last bite is as good as the first, you have done it right.
Quantity
3 cans (15 ounces each)
drained and rinsed
Quantity
3 cups (about 4 ears)
or frozen corn thawed
Quantity
1 large
diced
Quantity
1 large
diced
Quantity
1 cup
diced small
Quantity
1 medium
diced small
Quantity
2 cups
halved
Quantity
1 large
seeded and minced
Quantity
1 cup
roughly chopped
Quantity
4
sliced thin, white and green parts
Quantity
1/2 cup (about 4 limes)
Quantity
1/3 cup
Quantity
3 tablespoons
Quantity
4 cloves
minced fine
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
2 teaspoons
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| black beansdrained and rinsed | 3 cans (15 ounces each) |
| fresh corn kernelsor frozen corn thawed | 3 cups (about 4 ears) |
| green bell pepperdiced | 1 large |
| red bell pepperdiced | 1 large |
| celerydiced small | 1 cup |
| red oniondiced small | 1 medium |
| cherry tomatoeshalved | 2 cups |
| jalapeñoseeded and minced | 1 large |
| fresh cilantroroughly chopped | 1 cup |
| green onionssliced thin, white and green parts | 4 |
| fresh lime juice | 1/2 cup (about 4 limes) |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/3 cup |
| red wine vinegar | 3 tablespoons |
| garlicminced fine | 4 cloves |
| ground cumin | 1 tablespoon |
| Cajun seasoning | 2 teaspoons |
| smoked paprika | 1 teaspoon |
| kosher salt | 1 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| cayenne pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| freshly cracked black pepper | 1/2 teaspoon |
| honey or agave | 1 teaspoon |
Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, minced garlic, cumin, Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and honey in a large bowl. Taste it now. The dressing should be bright and bold with a gentle warmth at the finish. This is your flavor foundation, and it needs to stand on its own before it ever meets the vegetables. Adjust the salt and cayenne until it makes you want another taste.
Drain the black beans into a colander and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs clear, not murky. That canning liquid is starchy and dulls the flavors. Shake the colander well and let the beans drain for a few minutes. Waterlogged beans will dilute your dressing and make the whole salad watery. Nobody wants that at the church potluck.
If you are using fresh corn, stand each ear upright in a large bowl and slice downward with a sharp knife, letting the kernels fall into the bowl. Fresh corn tastes like summer and needs no cooking for this salad. If using frozen, spread the kernels on a towel-lined sheet pan and let them thaw and dry completely. Wet corn makes sad salad.
Add the drained black beans and corn to the bowl with the dressing. Toss them gently to coat. Now add the green and red bell peppers, celery, red onion, and halved cherry tomatoes. The colors should look like a Louisiana sunset: deep black, golden yellow, bright red and green. This is food that looks as good as it tastes.
Fold in the minced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, and sliced green onions. These fresh flavors will brighten everything. Toss the salad gently but thoroughly. You want every bean and every kernel wearing a coat of that dressing.
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour, or better yet, overnight. The beans will absorb the dressing, the flavors will deepen and mingle, and everything will taste like it belongs together. That's the bayou way: patience makes better food.
Pull the salad from the refrigerator about fifteen minutes before serving to take the hard chill off. Taste it again. The beans will have absorbed some seasoning, so you may need another squeeze of lime, a pinch more salt, or a dash of cayenne. Taste, taste, taste. Transfer to a beautiful bowl, scatter a few extra cilantro leaves on top, and watch it disappear.
1 serving (about 225g)
Culinary guides, cultural storytelling, and the editorial depth that makes cooking meaningful.
Discover Culinary Explorer
Chef Remy
Spirals of tender rotini loaded with Cajun-spiced bacon, sharp cheddar cubes, and crisp vegetables, all bound together in a buttermilk ranch dressing with enough personality to make the church ladies ask for your recipe.
Chef Remy
Crisp, cold romaine piled high with sliced blackened chicken still warm from the skillet, draped in creamy homemade Caesar and crowned with shatteringly crisp parmesan crisps, the kind of salad that makes you forget you're eating your vegetables.
Chef Remy
Blackened chicken and smoky andouille tossed with rotini, the holy trinity, and a creamy Cajun dressing so bold it makes you the hero of every potluck and picnic table from here to Baton Rouge.
Chef Remy
Crunchy cabbage and carrots tossed in a bold, creamy remoulade spiked with Creole mustard, horseradish, and enough cayenne to remind you where you are, the kind of slaw that steals the show at every fish fry and summer cookout.