Well – at least I think it’s the best. Love yourself, love your salsa. This salad/salsa/dip/side is in heavy rotation in our house from Cinco de Mayo to the end of tomato season.  If using as a salsa/dip, we like Tostitos Scoops for obvious “scoopability” reasons.

The Best Black Bean Salsa

About 8 servings

• 2 cans Goya black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 bag (10 oz.) frozen corn
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 4 plum tomatoes, diced
• 1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small squeeze honey or agave nectar (approx. 1 teaspoon)

Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix.

! Fiesta !

Check for seasoning, adding more salt, vinegar, olive oil or honey to taste.

Can be made several days ahead. (However, if making ahead I would omit the tomatoes and then add when ready to serve.  Tomatoes are always best stored at room temperature.)

Vegetable Chopping Pictorial

Bell Peppers:

Cut straight down around the core of bell pepper, then cut off the bottom.

Remove the white membrane if you want to be fancy.

Slice into strips and then cut crosswise into a dice.

Onion:

Cut onion in half lengthwise through the root. Cut off top and peel. Slice several layers almost all the way through to the root end.

Make slices in the other direction. (The root end should hold everything together.)

Chop across for an easy dice.

Jalapeño Chile/Pepper 

Cut around the core, as with the bell peper.

Slice into strips and then mince.

Cilantro

Twist off the root ends of a cilantro bunch. Wash and spin like you would for lettuce. Chop the leaves and stems.

By the way, all of this vegetable prep can be done in a food processor. Pulse one type of vegetable at a time, so you can control the size of the chop.