Black Bean Salad with Sazón Vinaigrette

Casey Elsass Casey Elsass
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One of my big motivations for writing this book, and especially this chapter, is my crusade to
never have to eat a raw onion in a salad ever again. I simply hate feeling like my esophagus is
under attack. So if there’s one thing this recipe teaches you—and empowers you to immediately adapt as a credo—it’s this: there’s always time for a quick pickle. Letting these veggies mingle with
some acid for a few minutes mellows their harsh edge, brightens their natural colors, and builds
flavor for the very liquid that is about to become a savory Sazón dressing, an ideal partner to a
bean salad if there ever was one. When we can let the flavors sing together, we all win! I love the
dense texture of black beans as a base here, but any of your favorite canned beans can slide right in.

30m 8
Easy Vegetarian Pescatarian Gluten Free No Refined Sugar Vegan Parve

Directions

  1. In a medium serving bowl, whisk the vinegar, lime juice, salt, and 1/4 cup of cold water. As you dice the jalapeño, peppers, onion, scallions, and avocado, add them to the bowl and lightly toss to coat in the vinegar mixture. Set a timer for 10 minutes to lightly pickle.

  2. Add the black beans, cilantro, vegetable oil, and Sazón. Toss to completely mix, then taste for seasoning. Serve immediately, or cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to two days. Stir again before serving.

About

Notes:
Sazón is a pan-Latin pantry staple, made from vibrantly colored annatto, turmeric, or saffron mixed with fragrant spices like coriander, cumin, garlic, or oregano. The magic ingredient is MSG, which gives this salad irresistible umami. If you’re using a bottle of Sazón instead of packets, measure out 1/2 tablespoon per packet. You could also use an equal amount of Tajín or a chili powder mix instead and adjust the salt as needed.

Description:
Recipe reprinted with permission from What Can I Bring? by Casey Elsass © 2025. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Photographs by Gentl and Hyers.

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