Black Bean & Watermelon Salad: Fer Yer BBQ?
The first time I made this, it was simply a variation on black bean and corn salad which also included watermelon because I had a little bit which needed to go. The watermelon worked so stunningly well in the recipe, adding crisp freshness while totally absorbing the flavors of it, that I decided it was more important than the corn.
This works very well if you have bits of watermelon that are not up to par for eating because they’re insufficiently sweet or have been hanging around in the fridge long enough that they’ve picked up too many other flavors to be eaten plain. Or, if you’re just sick of eating watermelon, but it’s not gone yet.
Black Bean & Watermelon Salad
2 cans (about 3 cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups watermelon, small dice
1/2 med. red onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cajun spice blend*
2 Tblsp. lemon or lime juice
1 avocado, diced
1/2 chipotle pepper, minced + ~1/2 tsp of the adobo from the pepper can.
couple of cranks of black pepper
(fresh cilantro to taste)
Throw all this in a bowl and mix ‘er up. Best if it gets a chance to ripen in the fridge for a few hours.
*About my cajun spice blend: I first made this for making jambalaya and catfish, but I cannot speak to the authenticity of it. Regardless, I use it for so many things and have remade it several times since. I should figure out the proportions of stuffs and post it but here’s what it includes: black pepper, cumin, fennel seed, thyme, smoked paprika, smoked salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.
This works very well if you have bits of watermelon that are not up to par for eating because they’re insufficiently sweet or have been hanging around in the fridge long enough that they’ve picked up too many other flavors to be eaten plain. Or, if you’re just sick of eating watermelon, but it’s not gone yet.
Black Bean & Watermelon Salad
2 cans (about 3 cups) black beans, drained and rinsed
1-2 cups watermelon, small dice
1/2 med. red onion, small dice (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cajun spice blend*
2 Tblsp. lemon or lime juice
1 avocado, diced
1/2 chipotle pepper, minced + ~1/2 tsp of the adobo from the pepper can.
couple of cranks of black pepper
(fresh cilantro to taste)
Throw all this in a bowl and mix ‘er up. Best if it gets a chance to ripen in the fridge for a few hours.
*About my cajun spice blend: I first made this for making jambalaya and catfish, but I cannot speak to the authenticity of it. Regardless, I use it for so many things and have remade it several times since. I should figure out the proportions of stuffs and post it but here’s what it includes: black pepper, cumin, fennel seed, thyme, smoked paprika, smoked salt, garlic powder, and red pepper flakes.