Mexican Caviar

There are a ton of recipes on the Internet that follow the theme of combining small and/or chopped fresh vegetable ingredients with some seasonings, oil and vinegar, dispensed on any variety of corn chips, and calling it something it isn't, "caviar:" Texas Caviar, Mexican Caviar, Cowboy Caviar and even, Poor Man's Caviar.  There is no common collage of thought as to what differentiates one from another and indeed, there are more than a few recipes that contain the same list of ingredients but are called by different names.

I thought I might try to bring some clarity to this culinary dilemma and suggest that we take an example from classic Escoffier French cuisine in the remarkable world of sauces.  Georges Auguste Escoffier is widely held to be the father of modern French haute cuisine in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries, simplifying and codifying many of the great culinary classics that sprung from the Renaissance.  The comestible world of French sauces is so complex that there are culinarians dedicated to the exclusive practice of making them, a sous chef position known as a saucier (pronounced saws-YEY).  

In French cuisine, there are seven "mother sauces," from which all other sauces are made. For example, when you blend flour and butter together, you have a roux.  When you add milk to a roux and season it with onion, clove, bay leaf and nutmeg, you have a béchamel sauce.  

From there, you can add further ingredients that can make as many as seven other sauces.  Add heavy cream to a béchamel, and you have a classic cream sauce.  Add Gruyere and Parmesan cheese to a béchamel and you have a morney sauce.  

Same thing with hollandaise sauce.  Add a reduction of shallots and tarragon poached in white wine and white wine vinegar, and you have a béarnaise sauce.  Add a tomato puree to béarnaise and you have a choron sauce.

The list goes on, but you get the point.

In a similar fashion, I think this idea of a vegetable caviar would be able to follow suit:

• Make a relatively simple caviar with chopped or sliced black olives, chopped green chilies, diced tomatoes and minced green or red onion and you have a Mexican Caviar.
• Add finely minced green and red bell pepper, and you have a Cowboy Caviar.
• Add black beans or black eye peas and corn, and you have a Texas Caviar.
• Add diced avocado, and you have a Poor Man's Caviar.

In all cases, you also require red wine vinegar; olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil; minced garlic; salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash or two of Tabasco Sauce. Beyond that, allow your creativity and pantry inventory to influence your composition.  Some say that the green chili Tabasco or Cholula sauce will add an extra kick. Fresh cilantro would be a welcome addition.  And as a game changer, you can add 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with a tablespoon or two of sour cream and turn this into a dip versus a salsa.

Either Fritos or Tostitos Scoops, or any restaurant-style tortilla chips will work as the transportation device to consume this delicious snack, but if you use Fritos, which is my personal preference, be advised to back off a bit on the salt in this recipe.

My Number One Fan found this recipe somewhere when we lived in Texas perhaps fifteen years ago and it's been a staple appetizer in our repertoire when entertaining informally.  This is the original Mexican Caviar from which all other aforementioned caviars can be made.

Ingredients
2 4-1/2-oz cans chopped ripe black olives (like, Mario or Early California)
2 4-oz cans chopped green chilies (like, Old El Paso or Hatch)
2 medium sized ripe red tomatoes, diced
3 green onions, finely chopped
2 tsp garlic, finely minced
3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
3 stiff dashes Tabasco Sauce

The Recipe
Mix all ingredients, cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving along side a basket of Fritos Scoops and a well-crafted frozen margarita. ¡Olé!