Ensalada Zapatista (Zapatista Salad)

This refreshing Mexican salad is not a taco salad (no meat or cheese), but it combines those same distinctive flavors of tomatoes, jalapeño, cilantro, limes, avocado, cucumber, and tortilla chips. It goes down easy when the temperatures are soaring and the summer vegetables are pouring in by the basketful.

For the Salsa

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 small red onion (peeled and finely chopped)
1 plump garlic clove (peeled and minced)
1 small jalapeño pepper (seeded and minced (or ½ minced chipotle in adobo for more heat))
Stingy pinch each ground cumin, ground cilantro, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper

For the Salad

1½ pounds ripe skin-on tomatoes (diced)
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 small cucumber (diced)
1 ripe avocado (diced)
1 (16-ounce) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
Generous handful tortilla chips (lightly crushed)
2 limes (quartered)

Place the lime juice, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and spices in a bowl to marinate. Set them aside while you prepare the tomatoes.
Put the tomatoes and fresh cilantro in a food processor and pulse a few times.
Add the salsa mixture and pulse a few times.
Compose the salad in bowls: Layer the cucumber, avocado, black beans, and salsa. Repeat. Top with the crushed chips and garnish with lime juice and several whole lime wedges.

Cook’s Tips and Tricks: If there is fresh corn off the cob at hand, add it without so much as blanching. The salad ingredients can rest for up to an hour in the fridge before assembling at the last minute. Freezing the salad bowls and forks for an hour lets you carry the composed dishes outdoors and not have them “wilt” in the summer heat so quickly.

— From Barn Bits: Picked at the Peak, by Deborah DeBord, Ph.D.

Enjoy this Recipe? Share on Social Media

Take A Look Inside Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook

Explore the contents of Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook. Download free sample chapters, including the complete table of contents.

Your privacy is important and your information will never be shared. Fields marked with an * are required.

Ensalada Zapatista (Zapatista Salad)