Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salsa with Homemade Tortillas ~ nothing is quicker or easier than salsa. Except maybe homemade tortillas.
Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salsa is almost a meal in itself. The classic combination of beans and corn make it filling and nutritious. It’s as easy as gathering your ingredients, chopping and dropping into a bowl. Colorful doesn’t begin to describe it! Put a few cheesy quesadilla wedges made with your own homemade tortillas alongside it and you have a feast.
Homemade tortillas are not hard at all. You will need masa harina, which is a special corn flour used specifically for tortillas. The dough is nothing more than masa harina and water. You will also need an inexpensive tortilla press and waxed paper squares to keep the dough from sticking. These are usually sold right alongside the tortilla press, or you can cut your own.
The dough comes together instantly. You can divide it into 4 equal portions and then divide each portion into 4 smaller portions, or just pinch off a piece about the size of a ping pong ball.
The tortilla press is a simple gadget that applies just the right pressure.
I can’t get over how perfect the tortillas come out…if you’ve ever tried to roll your own, you’ll understand my amazement.
They take just seconds to cook, too, so the whole process is very satisfying.
The press makes small tortillas, these are about 4 1/2 inches round. They are perfect for appetizer sized quesadillas, just mound cheese in the middle and fry in a little salted butter.
Notes~
- Don’t make the salsa too far in advance as the mango breaks down and loses its freshness.
Minimal Monday: Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salsa with Homemade Tortillas
Ingredients
For the salsa
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 ears corn, blanched in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then remove the kernals
- 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced
- 1 to mato, diced
- 3 baby bell peppers, assorted colors, diced (you can substitute 1 regular sized pepper)
- 1/4 large red onion, finely diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced (optional)
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tsp sherry vinegar
- 1 large handful cilantro leaves, minced
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
For the tortillas (makes about 16 small tortillas)
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 1/8 cups water
Instructions
For the salsa
- Put the ingredients into a large bowl and mix.
- Check the seasonings and adjust if necessary, then refrigerate until chilled.
For the tortillas
- Add the masa harina and the water to a mixing bowl
- Mix just until the dough comes together. Add a little extra water if the dough seems very dry.
- Cover the dough with a damp cloth to keep it from drying out while you work.
- Break off a small piece of the dough and form it into a ball, about the size of a ping pong ball.
- Put the ball of dough on top of a square of waxed paper on the tortilla press.
- Cover the ball with another piece of waxed paper, flatten slightly, and then press with the tortilla press.
- Carefully peel off the waved paper.
- Cook the tortillas on a hot pan or griddle for about 30 seconds on each side.
- I store the cooked tortillas in a baggie in the refrigerator until I'm ready to use them. In this case I made simple quesadillas with a ready made grated Mexican cheese blend.
I didn’t realise there’s such a thing as tortilla press until Helen from Grab Your Fork has mentioned it and seeing it on your blog. That’s such a cool little gadget!
I gotta agree with you that making tortilla is not a difficult task and totally worth the effort of making the dough and everything because the smell of fresh tortilla is amazing and so good I can actually eat them straight. I have to try corn tortilla next as soon as I can get my hands on masa harina. 🙂 Great job!
stellar tortillas, sue, but even better salsa–i love that combination of ingredients!
Oh yeah! I love this – all of it. I used to make homemade flour tortillas years ago while living in Denver. I never had a press but love the idea! The salsa is out of this world. I could make a complete meal of it.
I’ve got to try the flour tortillas, now, too.
Wow, the colors in that salsa are just beautiful. They caught my eye right away. I’ve never though of making homemade tortillas as “easy” before, so you gave me a bit more courage to try them out for myself.
So easy if you have that press. It’s pretty amazing actually, because rolling out dough of any kind has always been a challenge for me. This thing just pops out a perfect circle in seconds. Love it.
The salsa looks so delicious. How nice that you even own a tortilla press.
This is so cool! Enjoyed this post. I’ve never made corn tortillas. I always buy them in the store though. Where did you find your tortilla press? This would be a great little addition around here. The salsa looks great too. I love black beans in my salsa because it makes it so much more substantial.
I found mine at a local cooking store when we were living in New Hampshire, but I put the link to Amazon, where there are lots of brands for sale. I highly recommend it!
Oh, yummy!
ooooh, your quesadilla next to that bowl of salsa look incredibly delicious! I love the addition of mango to this salsa. I tried something like that at a friend’s house a couple months ago and LOVED it!