Black Eyed Pea Salad with Bacon

Southern caviar black eyed peas, is a delicious black eyed pea salad that mingles together bacon, onions, garlic and a beat of heat – a truly Authentic Southern side dish recipe that will make you feel like you walked right into your favorite restaurant.

Southern Caviar Cold Salad Recipe

Every one always thinks of black eyed peas as the new year approaches. They are meant to be good luck when eaten on New Years Day and are delicious when served with ham and cabbage.

But other parts of the year poor black eyed peas get the shaft. You rarely see them served as a side dish almost any other time of the year unless you are southern.

And I am.

And us southerners KNOW the value of a good black eyed pea salad.

Call it Texas Caviar or Redneck Caviar – no matter what you call it, you will call it totally delicious! Now tons of bloggers from Pioneer Woman to Paula Deen carry solid black eyed pea recipes, but this one is also one for the books.

With the garlic, cayenne, and onions, this black eyed pea recipe has got a bit of a kick!

Of course the heat is part of what brings these normally bland peas to the brink of delicious and such a true southern delicacy.

Slightly spicy, simple, and so refreshing, this side salad is a great way to bring in the holidays with friends (for a little good luck of course!).

If you want to kill the heat, you can do so but give this southern caviar a shot before you alter the recipe and you might be pleasantly surprised at your tolerance.

Of course for the really bold tongues, top with some extra Franks Hot Sauce.

Black Eyed Pea Salad with Bacon

This black eyed pea salad is truly a 5 minute salad. Its a dump and go  (as long as you used canned black beans) and can be ready to serve up quickly (although I do prefer for it to get cold and have flavors mingle.)

This salad is also a great alternative to hot black eyed peas that are in the crock pot and baked all day and I always look for ways to continue to eat healthy as the New Years changes over.

Now every time I make a recipe, I have tons left over! I give our extra food to friends, neighbors and co-workers as “taste testers” and once this was made and sent out, I got some great feedback:

“Craig wants you to know that the Black-eye pea salad was a major comfort food for him. It reminded him of his grandmother and he is so grateful that you made it.”

How do you make black eyed pea salad with black eyed peas? SIMPLE!!

Scroll to the bottom for a printable version of this post, including all measurements and instructions, so you can follow along in your kitchen without being on your phone.

Here is what you need to gather to get started:

• Black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
• green onions
• Roma tomato
• minced garlic
• olive oil
• bacon
• cayenne/red pepper
• black pepper
• salt

RELATED RECIPES: Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas

Do you have to soak Black Eyed Peas?

As with all beans, you can prepare dried black eyed peas and soak them overnight for a seriously homemade meal.

For me, soaking peas is entirely too much work so I enjoy the black eyed peas canned version.

If you do want to do the soaked peas version, simply add them to a stock pot, cover with cold water (about 4.5 inches worth) and soak overnight. Drain excess water before use.

What do you serve with Black Eyed Pea Salad?

First, lets talk about additives- it’s OK to add cold corn (drained) to the salad and it tastes pretty awesome with the heat and the sweet. Also, adding Conecuh sausage is a good way to turn this salad into a full meal with some protein.

Traditionally, Black eyed peas are served with side dishes like collard greens, corn bread or cabbage!

As this is a cold side salad, its a great unique option for BBQ, grilling, Ribs, or even delicious chicken.

How to make Black Eyed Pea Salad

Mix all your delicious black eye pea salad ingredients together to evenly coat.

Refrigerate overnight so flavors mingle. Yes, this recipe is actually THAT easy!

Good Luck Foods

There are quite a few “good luck” foods that people believe are best to eat in the new year. From Fish to apples, grapes, pomegranates and of course, widely know, black eyed peas!

There are so many amazing recipes to start off your new year right.

Awesome Salads

These may not be good luck salads, but here are some other incredibly delicious salad recipes that will make you FEEL like you won the lottery!

• Green Bean Salad with Feta 
• Tropical Fruit salad with Sweet Honey
• 3 Bean Salad with Lima Beans
• Cucumber Tomato and Feta Fresh Salad
• Pea Salad with Red Onions

If you tried this recipe and liked it, or changed it up and it was perfect, I love to hear your feedback and alterations!

I read all comments!!