Veggie Seviche (Black Bean Salsa)

Just about every time we have a potluck where I work, Martha, a co-worker, brings a batch of her dee-licious veggie dip.  Black beans, minced peppers, onions and cilantro tossed with a touch of lime and a few drops of Tabasco.  Served with tortilla chips, it's a meal in itself.  She calls it Seviche. 

Seviche?  Isn't seviche (pronounced say-VEE-chay) the stuff where non-kosher-type sea thingies are "cooked" by a bath of citrus juice?

Uh ... usually ... 

Just before I headed to sunny CA for the  wedding shower weekend, I asked Martha about the origin of the name.  You see, she was born in Colombia, so I just assumed the dish originated from there ... and you know what happens when you assume.   Shocked ... shocked I say, I was wrong.  Martha got the recipe from a friend, and she called it seviche.

"Did you know," Martha continued, "that you can also make seviche with chopped mangoes?"

I finally got it.  It's a salsa.  Black bean salsa!

"No," insisted Martha, "seviche."

Okay, fine.  A rose is a rose.  I got to the park and placed the seviche on the table, quickly discovering that no one wanted to touch it while it was seviche (Seviche?  Shellfish!  Treif!  Black beans! Icky!).  But almost everyone dived (dove?) in when I quickly renamed this rose black bean salsa.  Still, there was one voice still crying   Black beans! Icky!  Oh, well.  Ya can't please everyone.

Martha says that the seviche tastes much better if you start out with dried black beans, but I was under a bit of a time constraint.  If you are contributing to a potluck and/or are more efficient, use 1 cup of dried beans, soak overnight, drain, recover with fresh water, bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour or two until the beans are tender, before continuing with the rest of the recipe.

Veggie Seviche (Black Bean Salsa)
Yield: enough for a crowd as a dip, 8 servings as a side-dish


1 (15-16 oz.) can black beans
1/2 red pepper
1/2 green pepper
1/2 small red onion
1/2 packed cup cilantro, leaves and stems
1 lime, squeezed (about 2 Tbl. juice)
2-4 Tbl. olive oil, depending upon taste
1 tsp. kosher salt (or to taste)
a few drops Tabasco sauce (or to taste)

Tortilla chips (I used Doritos Scoops, but your favorite brand is fine)

 Drain and rinse the black beans well.  Pour beans into a 2-quart bowl.  Set aside.

Finely dice red pepper, green pepper, red onion and cilantro.  Add to beans.

Add lime juice and  2 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and Tabasco sauce.  Gently combine.  Taste and add more oil and/or salt if necessary.

 Transfer to serving bowl (or serving pie tin).  If not serving within an hour, cover and chill in fridge.  Remove from fridge about 1/2 hour before serving.

Serve with tortilla chips.