Cowboy Caviar is everywhere! What's all the buzz about?

Source: The Country Cook

TikTok was buzzing with videos with Cowboy Caviar and needed to know why? So I put on my favorite “salad eating shirt” and jumped online to find out about this brand new salad. But to my surprise, I found out this viral TikTok dish was invented almost 80 years ago. That surely was news to me! If you don’t know, the original creator of this dish is the former head chef of Neiman Marcus’s Zodiac Room, Helen Corbitt. And this dish was not called the Cowboy Caviar rather it was originally named “Texas Caviar ''. 

I was intrigued and wanted to know the original recipe of the “Texas Caviar”. So from what I gathered chef Corbitt’s original was a rather simple one. The “Texas Caviar” featured black-eyed peas, onions, and garlic that were pickled in oil and vinegar. Now it is obvious where the caviar angle came from. 

Source: Taste of Home

How did this return after 8 long decades? Well, the credit goes to Bria Lemirande who took to the famous video-sharing platform to walk us through her favorite dip. But Bria’s version of Cowboy Caviar had more ingredients than the originally named “Texas Caviar”. So let us have a look at how Brie makes her favorite dip.   

For the fresh ingredients, Brie used green, yellow and red bell peppers, red onions, a mango, avocado, jalapenos, limes, and feta cheese. After the fresh ingredients let’s move to the canned ingredients Brie used. Pinto beans, black beans, black olives (sliced), corn and some “hot and sweet” jalapenos did the trick for Brie. And finally for the dressing Brie used spicy honey, white vinegar, and olive oil. If you have all the ingredients, making this viral dish is pretty easy. Just chop up all your veggies and put them in a bowl. But hold on to your limes and avocado for later. Add in the cheese and your canned goods. Don’t forget to drain your beans before tossing them into your bowl. When you have all the things in the bowl then add in the avocado before moving on to your dressing. For dressing start with squeezing in three limes. For your dressing take 4 tablespoons of spicy honey, ¼ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup of white vinegar, salt, and pepper, and mix them well. After your dressing is ready, pour over your ingredients and mix everything well. And the new internet sensation is ready to be served.

Source: We'll Get The Food

But you will need the perfect chip to enjoy this dish. But finding the right chip for your dips is a struggle on its own. And finding the right chip for a dip as chunky as the Cowboy Caviar can be troublesome. But as always the internet found the answer. Trader Joe’s got the netizen’s attention with their stream of new products. But all the buzz online is about one chip. Yes, it’s all about Trader Joe’s salsa verde-flavored corn tortilla chips. If you want to go ahead with plain tortilla chips that’s fine but the salsa verde flavored chips will take your experience to a whole different level.    

Coming back to Cowboy Caviar, I did create Brie’s version of it and I loved it. But being delicious is not the reason behind all the hype. This dish is highly customizable, you don’t need to follow any recipe to the tee. You can add anything you love and make your version of the Cowboy Caviar. That’s the reason the internet was flooded with videos of this dish. Everyone jumped on the hype train and started making their very own version of the dish. 

So have you given this a try? Then comment down below your version of this dish. If not, then you can surely try this dish. We promise you will not be disappointed. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Q. What is the controversy with cowboy caviar?

After Bria Lemirande’s recipe became popular on TikTok, many people called her out for cultural appropriation, stating that cowboy caviar was a white-washed version of the popular Mexican salsa, pico de gallo, which is traditionally made with chopped tomato, onion, serrano peppers, and cilantro.

Q. Is cowboy caviar just ceviche?

While Cowboy Caviar and ceviche do have some similarities, they’re simply not the same. Their differing main ingredients, cooking methods, and flavor profiles distinguish them as separate dishes. Cowboy caviar is unique because it's loaded with beans, avocado, and corn and is dressed with special Italian dressing. On the other hand, Ceviche is traditionally made with raw seafood, most commonly cured in citrus juices or marinades.

Q. What is cowboy caviar actually called?

Cowboy caviar is also called Texas caviar. It is a refreshing salad of black-eyed peas and other ingredients tossed in a vinaigrette dressing. It was first created in 1940 by Helen Corbitt in Texas.

Q. Who started Cowboy Caviar?

According to sources, Cowboy Caviar was first created in the 1940s by Neiman Marcus culinary director Helen Corbitt in downtown Dallas. Later, Texas cooking traditions and various individual recipe variations contributed to its development over time.

Q. What is cowboy caviar made of?

Cowboy caviar is made of black-eyed peas and black beans, chopped tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, and cilantro tossed in tangy Italian dressing. 

Q. Who popularized caviar?

In 1873, a German immigrant named Henry Schacht was the first who establish a caviar business in America and started exporting to Europe. Soon others followed him and before long, America was the largest exporter of caviar in the world.