Black eyed peas, olives, feta cheese, chopped jalapeno peppers tossed in a red wine vinaigrette make an addictive scoopable salsa for chips and a great topping for fish or chicken. Double the recipe for holiday parties and game day.
Black Eyed Pea Salsa – A New Version
I’ve made so many versions of this, but now I think I’ve nailed this one down as my favorite. This time I added celery and olives, omitted the tomatoes and added a luscious red wine honey vinaigrette.
Yes, I omitted the tomatoes, but not intentionally to begin with – I was making it and forgot to add them.
Like an idiot.
However…
I tasted it before adding them and I LOVED it!! ♥
Now with the addition of celery and olives, I realized that I love this version more even without the tomatoes, and I definitely didn’t see that coming.

The Red Wine Vinaigrette is fantastic – it brightens it a little and rounds the flavors out.
But the feta.
And the olives. it’s just a little different and so good.
After you make this, put it in an air tight container in the fridge and it will keep for 3-5 days. When you take it out of the fridge you’ll probably need to freshen it up and moisten it with a little dressing or lemon juice. If you feel that it needs more liquid but don’t want to overseason it, low sodium chicken broth is a great option, too.
I have a serious affinity for anything that even resembles an appetizer – if you didn’t know that about me go here, here and here.

As you can probably tell, I LOVE salty, sharp cheese. Sharp white cheddar, Manchego, Blue, Gouda, etc. – the sharper, the better.
Keep in mind you can add the tomatoes if you want to; that definitely couldn’t hurt it.
Just try it first before you do.
Ways To Serve Black Eyed Pea Salsa
- As a salad
- A scoopable dip
- On top of fish (salmon comes to mind…)
- On a burger
- In in chicken or fish tacos
Here’s your printable-

Black Eyed Pea Salsa
An updated version of what is commonly known as "Texas Caviar", this version includes the addition of feta cheese and black olives.
Ingredients
- 1 can black eyed peas, rinsed and drained
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 jalapeno, diced
- ¼ cup black olives, diced
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tbsp seasoned salt
- 1 tsp honey
- ¼ cup cucumber, diced
Instructions
- Combine peas through feta cheese.
- Whisk together the olive oil, basil, vinegar, salt and honey; *pour over pea mixture.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve with pita chips, Fritos, or whatever!
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Notes
*You may only want to use a ½ to ¾ of the dressing, but save the rest. It will refresh the salsa if you have leftovers.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 Amounts Per Serving: Calories: 357Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 1044mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 3gSugar: 4gProtein: 6gThe provided nutrition calculated may not always be accurate.
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Want more Black Eyed Pea Salsa love?
French Onion Black Eyed Peas – Ally’s Kitchen
Southern Slow Cooker Black Eyed Peas – Southern Bite
Black Eyed Pea Salad – Simply Recipes

This post was originally published on 01/22/2014, and updated for content 08/20/2021.
Author
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Shea Goldstein is a recipe developer, food writer, and creator based in Alabama. She shares craveable, approachable recipes with a little personality and a lot of flavor - from over-the-top burgers to nostalgic comfort food and weeknight dinners people actually want to eat. When she’s not in the kitchen, she’s balancing life as a registered nurse while building her food brand full-time.






