Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa with Hatch green chile is an easy salsa that I’ve made for years. It is a pared down version of my Hatch green chile, black bean, and corn salad (that I’ve been making for over 3 decades!). Grilled corn and rinsed and drained black beans cozy up with chopped Hatch green chile, scallions, and cilantro in fresh lime juice. Serve it with chips or in your favorite taco… It’s ready in 15-30 minutes!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Salsa Recipes
Literally translated, salsa is the Spanish word for sauce. It really is that simple. When Americans speak of “salsa,” they’re typically referring to a fresh salsa like pico de gallo, or a cooked salsa like salsa verde. Our love affair with salsa in the US is relatively new, but salsa has its roots in ancient cultures like the Aztec and Incan civilizations.
Salsas fit neatly into the condiment category, but I’ve been known to eat this grilled corn and black bean salsa with Hatch chile for lunch. Peruvian salsa criolla is served as a side dish all over Peru. Yes, they’re a healthy snack or appetizer with air fryer tortilla chips, and on your favorite tacos, but don’t limit them to these common applications. Spoon salsa over eggs, grilled meat or veggies, or spread on a sandwich. I love a spoonful of chimichurri to brighten a soup, and dipping meatballs in ají verde.
I hope I’ve expanded your idea of salsas and how to enjoy them? This corn and black bean salsa is so simple and quick to make, you’ll want to keep it in the regular rotation!
❤️ What I Love About It
- It takes about 30 minutes to make (including time to grill the corn)!
- It’s healthy!
- It’s versatile. Enjoy it with chips, spoon it into tacos, eat it as a light lunch.
- black beans – You want to start with cooked black beans, whether you rinse and drain canned beans, or start with dried black beans.
- corn – Grilled sweet corn is my preference for this salsa recipe, but you can substitute frozen and thawed corn. Grilling the corn adds about 20 minutes to the prep.
- onion – I specify scallions, and that is what I prefer. However, red, sweet, and yellow onions as well as shallots are good substitutions.
- chile – On photo day, I used 3 Hatch green chiles, and 1 red jalapeños (because I love color!). However, you can use poblano, jalapeños, Fresnos, Anaheims, serranos, etc. I love the flavor of Hatch green chile roasted, and while I no longer live in New Mexico, I do get green chile shipped to me from the Hatch Chile Store, and it’s perfect!
- fresh lime juice – This is not the time to use bottled lime juice! Squeeze fresh limes. I do not specify any olive oil in this salsa recipe. I think bottled lime juice will compromise the flavor.
- Prep the salsa ingredients – Grill the corn. Remove from the cobs. Remove stems and seeds from chiles, and chop them. Rinse and drain the black beans if using canned. Chop the scallions and cilantro leaves. Halve the limes.
- Add the salsa ingredients to a mixing bowl. Squeeze limes over top.
- Finish the salsa – Mix the salsa ingredients together thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. If mixture is dry, squeeze another lime half or two. Note: It should not be swimming in lime juice!
💭 Tips
What options do I have for the corn? Grilling fresh corn is always my preference, and it’s super easy. After shucking the corn, I place it on foil, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, wrap it up, and place it on a hot grill for about 6-7 minutes on a side. I then use a sharp knife to remove from the cob. Another good option is to remove the corn kernels, and char them in a hot cast iron skillet like I do in my Mexican charred sweet corn. Lastly, you can skip the fresh corn, and use frozen and thawed corn.
How long can I keep my salsa? I actually really like it the next day. I’ve been known to just eat the leftover salsa with a spoon right out of the container I stored it in. After a couple of days, though, the salsa loses its freshness, and gets a bit strong.
About the lime juice – This salsa deserves fresh lime juice. Please don’t use bottled! Limes vary wildly in the amount of juice they yield. With this salsa recipe, we’re looking to moisten the salsa ingredients. We don’t want it swimming in liquid. Be flexible. If the salsa looks dry, juice another lime.
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🍷 Pairing Suggestions
The first – and obvious pairing – is with tortilla chips. I ALWAYS use my air fryer to make my tortilla chips with just cooking spray, corn tortillas, and sea salt. They take about 10 minutes, and they’re crisp and grease free! I probably ought to do a “recipe,” but it seems like cheating. What do you think?
When I photographed this grilled corn and black bean salsa, I served it as a topping for pork tenderloin tacos. It’s an excellent pairing! The recipe should be up on the blog next week…
You’ll enjoy this fresh salsa recipe on my easy ground lamb tacos, or as an easy side with grilled tajín chicken or chorizo burgers. I love easy, flexible recipes like this one, and I know you’ll think of many more ways to use it.
Grilled Corn and Black Bean Salsa
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Ingredients
- 2 ears corn - grilled, cut off cob (see Tips in post)
- 1 ½ to 2 cups black beans - rinsed and drained
- ½ cup Hatch green chile - chopped (see Tips in post)
- 1 red jalapeno - bell pepper, Fresno chile, minced (optional)
- ¼ cup scallions - red onions, shallots, chopped
- ½ cup cilantro leaves - coarsely chopped
- 2 limes +/- juiced - see notes
- sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Prep the salsa ingredients – Grill the corn. Remove from the cobs. Remove stems and seeds from chiles, and chop them. Rinse and drain the black beans if using canned. Chop the scallions and cilantro leaves. Halve the limes.
- Add the salsa ingredients to a mixing bowl. Squeeze limes over top.
- Finish the salsa – Mix the salsa ingredients together thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. If mixture is dry, squeeze another lime half or two. Note: It should not be swimming in lime juice!
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.