Recipe: Texas Caviar

The colorful dish that can be enjoyed as an appetizer, snack, or salad.

Published June 4, 2025

Whether you call it Texas Caviar or Cowboy Salad doesn’t really matter. With its finely chopped flurry of tomato, bell pepper, jalapeño, red onion, and spring onion, and its accents of cilantro and lime juice, it’s hard to imagine anything more suited to sultry summer temperatures. Even better, you can make it ahead for summer get-togethers, picnics, or potlucks.

My own Texas Caviar epiphany occurred when I became aware of the combination of umami flavors that result from doctoring the dressing with Tabasco and Worcestershire sauces. Add avocado for extra lusciousness and then trumpet the call we know so well: “Come and take it!”

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Salad

2 cups cooked black-eyed peas (canned or from scratch)
1/2 red onion, finely diced
1 cup red bell pepper (or a mixture of red and green), finely diced
2 firm medium tomatoes, finely diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, packed and chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced
1 ripe avocado, diced (optional)

For the Dressing

2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime (or lemon) juice
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar (or red wine vinegar + 1 teaspoon honey or granulated sugar)
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce (substitute Sriracha for more heat)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or 1 tablespoon white or red wine vinegar + 1 tablespoon soy sauce)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste