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    Eat Love Eat » Salads

    Mexican Panzanella Salad

    Published: Jun 8, 2016, Last Modified: October 2, 2021, By Sasha Hooper · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    A plate of cornbread bean salad with wedges of lime and tomatoes to the side.

    It's seriously starting to feel like summer! Every year, I'm astounded at how much I love this season. I love all the seasons, genuinely, but it's summer that truly has my heart. At this time of year (in England, at least - my sister-in-law has been reporting 48°C/120°F temperatures in Arizona, yikes!) everything is lush and green, there are flowers everywhere and the birds are singing non-stop. Everything just feels alive and I love it. It's been around 24°C/75°F here which is wonderful, though I definitely wouldn't complain if it got a little warmer than that!

    One of the things I love most about the summer is eating al fresco. And as much as I love picnics and barbecues, perhaps most of all I simply love to take my regular meals outside. Breakfast and a coffee in the sunshine? Now that is one of life's simple pleasures. In fact, it's arguable that my favourite thing to eat outdoors in the summer is nothing more than the bright orange flesh scooped from a halved Charentais melon on a hot July morning. Perfection.

    Close up of grilled cornbread bean salad on a plate with avocado on top.

    But anyway - back to the current moment as I certainly don't want to wish time away! Current obsession? Mexican Panzanella Salad. I mean, seriously! You have got to make this. I'm willing to bet it's been done before (I mean, hasn't everything?) but I was pretty chuffed by this idea! It came at first from my husband who expressed a desire for 'some kind of avocado panzanella type thing'. Now, let me tell you, this is not what he had in his mind's eye but he assures me it's better!

    There's just something so fun about taking a classic recipe and mixing it up a bit. Do we call that fusion food? Ah, who cares. As much as I love the classics, I think I'd go insane if I stuck to those recipes day in and day out - especially as a food blogger. Nope, I'm definitely not what you'd call a purist when it comes to food! Life's too short I say! So as awesome and delicious as traditional Italian panzanella is, I was itching to do a Mexican version. After all, Mexican food is life.

    Close up of cornbread salad with beans and avocado on a plate Cubed cornbread on a marble work top.

    Sourdough just felt so wrong in a Mexican panzanella, so it had to be cornbread. And I apologise in advance - as you know, I'm English and let me tell you, us Brits are not brought up on this kind of food (if only!). I've also never been to Mexico (yet!) and as such, I am at a complete loss as to whether a Mexican would actually eat cornbread, or if that's purely an American thing. Please educate me! So yeah, it's not my intention to offend anybody here! Just rest assured that this tastes really good and that's all that matters to me! (and hey, it's fusion food??)

    You'll notice too that I've left the cornbread aspect of the recipe deliberately vague. For the same reasons as above I just would not feel comfortable giving a recipe for cornbread. Feel free to use whichever cornbread recipe you like, or buy some if it's available to buy near you. For anybody who's interested, I used Nigella Lawson's recipe for cornbread from her Feast cookbook, but tweaked the recipe slightly by browning the butter and adding less sugar than specified. It tasted great to me!

    A close up of grilled corn bread salad on a plate with beans and avocado.

    The cornbread got a bit of the griddling treatment, mainly because I can't resist those incredible bar marks but also because it enhances the toasty corn flavour. The griddled cornbread is then tossed with black beans, juicy tomatoes, creamy avocado and some super quick pickled onions. Coriander oil, a touch of cumin and a hit of green chilli tie it all together. This Mexican panzanella is quick to make, filling enough for a main meal and tastes incredible. You know me, I don't skimp on flavour and this is no exception!

    A plate of cornbread bean salad with wedges of lime and tomatoes to the side.

    Mexican Panzanella Salad

    A chargrilled Mexican inspired panzanella salad made with cornbread, avocado and blackbeans
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe ⭐️ Rate Recipe
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Servings: 2
    Author: Sasha Hooper

    Equipment

    • Griddle pan
    • Stick blender

    Ingredients 

    • 3 cups cornbread, see notes
    • 1 small red onion
    • ½ lime, juiced
    • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • 1 can can black beans, (1 ½ cups) drained and rinsed
    • 8-10 plum vine tomatoes, or any tomatoes of your choosing
    • 1 pitted avocado
    • 1 a small bunch of coriander
    • 4 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil
    • ½ a jalapeño, or other green chilli
    • ½ teaspoon cumin

    Instructions

    • Heat a griddle pan. Cut the cornbread into cubes and place on the griddle pan. Turn every 30 seconds or so until each side has been grilled and is nicely golden. Remove and set aside.
      3 cups cornbread
    • Thinly slice the red onion into half moons. Place into a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt, the juice of half a lime and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar. Leave to steep for 10 minutes or so (though longer won't hurt).
      1 small red onion, ½ lime, juiced, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    • Place the black beans in a large bowl. Halve or quarter the tomatoes, depending on size and dice the avocado. Add these to the bowl.
      1 can can black beans, 8-10 plum vine tomatoes, 1 pitted avocado
    • Using a stick blender, blitz the coriander with the oil. Finely chop the jalapeño and add this to the coriander oil along with the cumin and a pinch of salt.
      1 a small bunch of coriander, 4 tablespoons rapeseed or olive oil, ½ a jalapeño, ½ teaspoon cumin
    • Add the cornbread cubes to the bowl with the black beans, tomato and avocado. Pour in the steeped red onion along with all of the juices. Pour in the coriander oil. Mix everything together well. As with traditional panzanella, this is a pretty hardy salad and is perfectly fine (arguably better) if it's made in advance. Season to taste.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Notes

    As mentioned above, I haven't given a recipe for cornbread. Use your favourite recipe or buy some if that's an option. As for quantities, I used about half of what you can see in the image above to make a salad that serves two people.
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 997kcal | Carbohydrates: 124g | Protein: 28.1g | Fat: 48.7g | Saturated Fat: 7.6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8.7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 29.1g | Cholesterol: 45.4mg | Sodium: 1607.2mg | Potassium: 2810.4mg | Fiber: 28.2g | Sugar: 19.9g | Vitamin A: 295.7IU | Vitamin C: 143.3mg | Calcium: 455.6mg | Iron: 9.6mg
    Course Lunch, Main Course
    Cuisine Mexican
    Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below with how you got on and don't forget to give the recipe a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. You can also tag @eatloveeats on Instagram - we love to see your creations!

    Note: This post contains affiliate links.

    A plate of cornbread salad with avocado, tomatoes and beans.

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    Comments

    1. Sue says

      September 26, 2021 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      Mmmm - looks so good. I love a salad and this looks like just the ticket.

      Reply
    2. Geoff says

      September 25, 2021 at 6:44 pm

      5 stars
      Yummy - such a quick and convenient meal idea for sharing with loved one 🙂

      Reply
    3. Corina says

      June 13, 2016 at 10:07 pm

      This salad looks beautiful - I love the flavours in it. I've never had cornbread but it looks like it makes great croutons for the salad and I'd definitely like to try it!

      Reply
      • Sasha says

        June 14, 2016 at 7:21 am

        Thanks Corina! I'd love to know how you get on if you do try it - I think you'll love the cornbread! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Michelle @ The Last Food Blog says

      June 11, 2016 at 4:41 pm

      Sasha this looks really lovely! I've never been one for corn bread but I might just give it a go for this recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Sasha says

        June 11, 2016 at 8:57 pm

        Thanks Michelle! The cornbread is really lovely in this but you could always use normal bread if you didn't fancy it!

        Reply
    5. Hana | Nirvana Cakery says

      June 08, 2016 at 8:28 pm

      Sasha, I absolutely love this recipe! Well done, can't wait to try it out! x

      Reply
      • Sasha says

        June 08, 2016 at 8:30 pm

        Thanks Hana! I hope you love it, it really is delicious! 🙂 x

        Reply

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