Fiesta Salad – The Food Blog

Why you’ll love this salad

• Quick & Easy Prep: You can whip up this fiesta avocado salad in minutes—no cooking required! It’s an effortless choice for a gathering or busy weeknight meal.
• Balanced Flavors & Textures: The black beans, avocado, fresh veggies, and lime dressing combine sweet, savory, and tangy flavors with a delightful crunch.
• Healthy & Hearty: Packed with healthy fats from avocado, fiber from black beans, and vitamins from fresh vegetables, this fiesta salad is both light and filling.

Ingredients

• Black beans: I use canned beans to simplify meal prep. Swap out the black beans with kidney beans or pinto beans for a different flavor.
• Corn: Canned or thawed, frozen corn kernels keep this recipe fast and easy. However, if you have fresh corn in your fridge that needs using, by all means, use it in this corn salad recipe! Of course, you’ll need to cook it first. I often make extra Cajun corn on the cob so that we can have this salad, or another favorite, roasted chili corn salsa for meal prep.
• Cherry tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes work best, but you can also chop a larger tomato.
• Red bell pepper: I like the pop of color that bell peppers add to the salad. You can also use orange, green, or yellow bell peppers.
• Red onion: Zingy red onion is perfect in fiesta salad. Sliced green onions or shallots work equally well. 
• Jalapeño pepper: Jalapenos do pack a little heat, but they are among the mildest of the hot peppers. Sub the jalapeño for a serrano pepper if you want an extra kick.
• Lime juice: Mexican salad dressings wouldn’t be complete without lime juice! Lemon juice works, too. Just make sure the lime or lemon juice is freshly squeezed, not bottled.
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO): EVOO enhances the fresh flavors of this black bean corn salad and pairs perfectly with the lime dressing. Avocado oil is another great option.
• Chili powder: Stick with mild chili powder for subtle heat. Chili powder is usually a blend of ground chilies, cumin, paprika and Mexican oregano. If you like more spice, use chipotle powder or a dash of cayenne pepper.
• Salt: Coarse sea salt or kosher salt are classic choices. You can use chili-lime salt (like Tajín) for extra Mexican flair.
• Cilantro: Fresh cilantro is a must in fiesta corn salad! Use parsley or omit it if cilantro tastes like soap to you!
• Avocado: Avocado, with its smooth, buttery texture and cooling effect balances out the tangy flavors.

How to make it

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine black beans, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, jalapeno, and red onion.
2. Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, chili powder, and salt in a small bowl.
3. Toss the salad with the lime vinaigrette dressing.
4. Garnish with cilantro and avocado slices.

Serving suggestions

Enjoy this vibrant salad as a main course by adding grilled chicken flavored with my chicken taco seasoning, ground beef taco meat or ground turkey, grilled lemon garlic shrimp, blackened cod, or blackened mahi-mahi. Fluffy, flavorful Mexican fried rice is a great side dish to soak up the tangy dressing and add a comforting starch. Add spiced tofu for a meatless protein to keep your meal vegetarian, and pair your fiesta salad with extra veggies, like roasted cauliflower or butternut squash.

​I sometimes like to serve this salad tucked into tortillas over top refried beans for taco Tuesday. Or serve it as a salsa with tortilla chips or corn chips.

Adults can enjoy their Mexican meal with a Mexican mule, a delicious twist on a Moscow mule, or my bubbly, mouth-puckering Prosecco margarita cocktail. Finish it off with warm, cinnamon-sugar churros, creamy flan, or ultra-rich Mexican chocolate brownies.

Frequently asked questions