I love mixing up fresh salsas and sides, especially now that the warm weather is here! This Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa is perfect for a side (or an ingredient like in tacos, burritos, or this Southwestern Steak Salad pictured below) with Mexican, Southwestern, or Barbecued food – or even better, just for dipping chips when the mood hits.

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa

I love the way a simple roasting brings out all the flavors in this salsa, even if using out of season veggies. From the bit of color the corn picks up to the slight char on the tomatoes and jalapenos, along with the magic roasting does for onion and garlic, it’s a game changer.

About Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa:

Have you ever noticed that sometimes salads (which this is; salsa is translated to salad, and this can be served as a side or as a salsa) that contain a lot of small ingredients combined with beans (in this case black beans) can tend to dullness?

That is not a problem with this salsa! Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa just jumps with flavor. In addition to the roasted vegetables, there’s lime & along with its zest, and that’s fortified with a little smidge of vinegar and a hint of sweet.

But wait! That’s not all. Combined with the lime/vinegar combo is just a bit of something with heat: a few chili pepper flakes, maybe chili pequin, or a touch of cayenne. Together they blend into a marvelous, bright dressing. You might find yourself just riffing off that dressing for other recipes.

Southwestern Steak Salad

Making Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa:

The only part of this salad that requires much attention is roasting the vegetables. Place them all on a sheet tray and tend them as they pick up color and a little char. As each in turn reaches perfection, remove them.

You will need to peel the skin from the tomatoes, jalapenos, and onion but then its a simple chop by hand or in the food processor. A quick dressing is made and everything is mixed together.

Storing:

Store Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa in the fridge where it will keep well, tightly covered, for three to five days, perhaps a bit longer. Stir to distribute the dressing throughout before serving.

This is a recipe that possibly could be frozen and thawed out overnight; none of the ingredients would be damaged in any way by freezing. I have not personally attempted to do so.

Saving Money on Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa:

I love recipes with ingredients that can be bought at different price points. I feel that can make them more accessible to everyone. And just as much, I love recipes that can be easily cut in cost by careful shopping, like this one.

corn:

In many recipes, corn can be fresh, frozen, or canned, and depending on the recipe, it might make little difference in the final product. This particular recipe is best with fresh sweetcorn, although frozen or canned are still good. Sweetcorn is a perfect example of how in season, fresh will beat frozen and canned in price. This is my most recent pricing.

• Corn on the Cob: In season, in the Midwest, an ear of corn runs at a good sale at about 25 cents and, on a better sale about 20 cents. An average ear will yield about 3/4 cup of corn but that can vary. A small year of fine corn is about 1/2 cup.  A large ear with large kernels is about a cup. Two average ears are about the equivalent of a can (15 ounces) and will run 40 cents to 50 cents on sale.
• Fresh Corn in Packages: Another reason, besides quality, that I usually avoid packaged fresh corn is cost. Those packages of (usually) four half ears can run from $1.97 a package to easily twice that, depending on where you’re shopping. The size of the corn can vary. If we figure the yield is average, we’re looking at  $1.23 a pound and up to twice that.
• Canned Corn: A can of corn is usually 15 ounces and has about 1 1/2 cups of corn. I often see it on sale for $1.00, which is $1.06 a pound, sometimes I see it for less and not on sale, of course, for more. Those cute smaller cans can be surprisingly pricy when factored out to a pound.
• Frozen Corn: Frozen corn can come in varying sizes and may be “value-added” with microwave packages, with butter, or other ingredients (some are kind of unsavory) and often aren’t in standard sizes which can make it difficult to make comparisons. Beware. As expensive as packages of frozen corn in loose kernels are, what’s crazy expensive is usually the packaged frozen corn on the cob, whether whole, half, or cut in rounds. (You might do better by watching sales and stocking up, but they can run up to $4.24 a pound.) A basic value package of loose kernels is about $1.48 a pound.

jalapenos, serranos, poblanos & others:

These are seldom on sale but if they are don’t be afraid to pick up a few. All of these will last a week or two in the fridge if plans are not immediate. Both Aldi and Lidl have fabulous prices on jalapenos; generally sold by the bag.

• Once on hand, incorporate them into your meal plan or make appetizers. There are several using jalapenos on my site.
• If nothing else, since these are often used both fresh and roasted, if the price is fabulous, roast them in batches, deseed them, and freeze in packets ready for future recipes.

black beans:

The lowly bean is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, is a great source of protein, especially combined with grains, and in all forms they are cheap! For reference, a pound of dried beans will make around the equivalent of 3 cans of beans. A can of beans weighs about 15 ounces and holds about a cup and a half if beans.

Dried: Dried beans are always the less expensive option.

• At the grocery, look for them at a low before or after any holiday where ham is often served as a main course and before Cinco de Mayo. Sales are usually unadvertised.
• Markets and discount grocery stores are great options and might even beat the grocery store sales prices.

Canned: That being said, canned beans aren’t going to break the bank.

• Canned may be on sale more often than dried, especially during late summer when the new harvests are hitting the shelves. The bonus is that many different types of beans are usually included in grocery store sales.
• Check for great pricing in the ethnic aisles of the grocery store, as well as the vegetable aisle, and your discount stores will have great pricing.

I hope you enjoy this Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa as much as we have over the years. I think you’re going to find it’s so versatile it’s going to be a staple in your repertoire of recipes!

Take care,

Mollie

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa

Roasted Corn & Black Bean Salsa

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• Author: mollie kirby
• Yield: about 4 cups 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Cuisine: Mexican or Southwestern

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ear of corn, shucked or about 1 1/2 cups kernels
• two or three tomatoes or several plum tomatoes
• 1 or 2 jalapeños
• 1 small white onion, halved, skin on
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 cups cooked or one 15 ounce can black beans (rinse if canned)
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• juice & zest 1 lime
• 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
• pinch or sugar (optional)
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt or to taste (you’ll want to be generous)
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon chile pequin, red pepper flakes, or cayenne to taste
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (to taste) optional

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Instructions

Broil the vegetables:

Preheat broiler and set rack 4 inches below. Line a large or two smaller 2 baking sheets with foil, turning up the sides.

Add, in rows, keeping them separate, the corn (which will need space to turn and mix), tomatoes, jalapeno, onion (cut side down), and garlic.

Tend the roasting process. Watch the coloring – the timing is an estimate.

• Place baking sheet under broiler for about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove and stir corn, which should picking up some nice browning on the top side.
• Place baking sheet back in oven for two to three more minutes, then remove the baking sheet, scoop off the corn into a medium-large bowl, remove the garlic cloves, and set aside.
• Turn the tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions as they pick up a little charring and blistering, place back under the broiler for another four to six minutes, turning as necessary, until nicely charred and blackened in spots.
• Add the tomatoes and jalapenos along with any juices in the sheet pan into another bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool. Set the onion aside for now.

Prepare the vegetables:

Working over a bowl to catch any juices stem jalapeños, remove seeds and charred skin. Remove skins, core and deseed tomatoes. Remove the skins from the onion. Either in a food processor or by hand, cut or pulse the jalapenos, tomatoes, and onion. Add to the bowl with the corn, along with the reserved juices. Add in the black beans.

Make the dressing:

Peel and finely mince the garlic and add to a jar or small bowl. Add the vinegar, the juice & zest of the lime, olive oil, optional pinch of sugar, salt and pepper, and desired 1/4 teaspoon chile pequin, red pepper flakes, or cayenne to taste.

Mix or shake. Pour over vegetables, stir, taste and adjust any seasonings.

Garnish:

Garnish with or mix in the desired amount of cilantro before serving.

Best if salsa sits for about 30 minutes before serving; serve at room temperature or chilled. Keeps several days in the fridge or may be frozen (without cilantro.)

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I’ll be bringing this recipe to Angie’s Fiesta Friday, hosted this week by the incomparable Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook. Do stop by and take a peek at all the bloggers linking up their best creations.