The corn is cooked first and then cut from the cob, which concentrates its sweetness and makes it easier to eat in a bowl than raw kernels that skitter around the plate. The vinaigrette is lime juice, olive oil, cumin, and fresh oregano, bright, slightly earthy, and exactly the right weight for a salad this fresh. Black beans and avocado go in with the corn, dressed and ready in about twenty minutes from start to finish, or faster if the crispy quinoa is already made.
The crispy quinoa is the step worth planning ahead for. Cooked quinoa toasted in the oven until it turns golden keeps well in an airtight jar for about a week, which means this salad can come together in minutes on any night it is needed. Sprinkled on at the last moment so it stays crunchy against the cool avocado and dressed beans, it adds a texture the rest of the salad does not have and does not need to be replaced by anything else.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
You’ll find the complete list of ingredients and exact quantities in the recipe below.
FOR THE SALAD
- Fresh corn
- Black beans
- Avocado
FOR THE VINAIGRETTE
- Lime juice
- Olive oil
- Ground cumin
- Oregano
FOR THE CRISPY QUINOA
- Quinoa
- Olive oil
How to Make Corn & Black Bean Salad with Crispy Quinoa
Step 1 – Bring water to a boil, add generous salt and add the shucked corn. Cover the pot and cook the cobs for about 10 minutes. Remove the cobs from the water with a slotted spoon. Once the cobs cooled down a little, slice straight down the side of the cob with a knife, and cut off whole kernels without digging into the woody cob.
Step 2 – Rinse quinoa it in a colander, under running tap water. Bring water and quinoa to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for approx. 15 minutes until fluffy, read the details here. Dry and toss with 1 tablespoons of oil, spread on baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. See detail how to make crispy quinoa here.
Step 3 – Make the vinaigrette by mixing olive oil, lime juice, finely chopped oregano, cumin and salt & pepper.
Step 4 – Rinse and drain the black beans. Peel and pit an avocado and cut it in small dice. In a bowl, mix black beans, cooled corn and avocado with the vinaigrette.
You can leave the recipe as it, right here, right now and it will be delicious. But enter crispy quinoa and this Corn & Black Bean Salad will turn into something great. The combination of juice-exploding corn kernels, soft avocado pieces and creamy black beans with a crispy sprinkle of quinoa will be a surprise you will try to repeat.
Alternatives and Substitutes
Since this recipe is made with only a few key ingredients, a major swap of ingredients means a different salad all together. Here are some subtle changes:
- Use lemon juice instead of lime.
- If fresh corn is out of season, use canned corn.
- Instead of oregano, cilantro can be used.
- Add a kick with some hot sauce or red pepper flakes.
- Instead of crispy quinoa, use crispy rice or couscous.
Storage Note
You can toss the corn, black beans and vinaigrette together a couple of hours ahead of serving. The avocado need to be cut and added at the last moment as well as the crispy quinoa.
Other Corn Salads to Try
Corn & Black Bean Salad with Crispy Quinoa
Pin Recipe FacebookIngredients
For the Salad
- 2 corns on the cob
- salt
- 15 ounces black beans, 1 can
- 1 avocado
For the Vinaigrette
- 1.5 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped
- salt & pepper
For the Crispy Quinoa
- 1/4 cup quinoa
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
For the Salad
- Bring water to a boil, add generous salt and add the shucked corn. Cover the pot and cook the cobs for about 10 minutes. Remove the cobs from the water with a slotted spoon. Once the cobs cooled down a little, slice straight down the side of the cob with a knife, and cut off whole kernels without digging into the woody cob. (NOTE 1)
- Rinse quinoa it in a colander, under running tap water. Bring water and quinoa to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for approx. 15 minutes until fluffy. Dry and toss with 1 tablespoons of oil, spread on baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes. (NOTE 2)
- Rinse and drain the black beans. Peel and pit an avocado and cut it in small dice.
- Make the vinaigrette by mixing olive oil, lime juice, finely chopped oregano, cumin and salt & pepper.
- In a bowl, mix black beans, cooled corn and avocado with the dressing.
- Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and sprinkle with the crispy quinoa.
Notes
- You can used canned corn instead of fresh corn
- If you have cooked quinoa handy, use that, I will cut 15 minutes off you cooking time. Otherwise, follow the recipe. If you want to read more about how to cook quinoa, read here. And if you want to read more about making crispy quinoa, click here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.