HOW TO COOK NOPALES (CACTUS PADDLES)
If you've never cooked nopales before, you're in for a treat. This dish is popular in Mexico and can be used in a variety of recipes. In this post, I'll show you the most common way to cook them and give you a few ideas for dishes that you can make with them. They are all super easy to make!
Provided by Mely Martínez
Categories Basic Recipes
Time 20m
Number Of Ingredients 22
Steps:
- Place the cactus paddle on your cutting board and, using a sharp knife, trim off the edge. Scrape the spines, thorns or eyes, running your knife from back to front until completely clean. Turn the cactus paddles and do the same on the other side.
- Repeat the same steps with the rest of the cactus paddles. Finally, rinse the cactus paddles and take them back to your clean cutting board.
- Place a medium size pot with 4 quarts of water to boil.
- Cut the cactus paddles into small strips.
- Once the water is boiling add the cactus, onion, garlic, 1/2 tsp. of salt and the tomatillo husk. Boil uncovered for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. The cactus will exude a sticky substance and most times will foam, so, pay special attention to this step to avoid the foam to spill over.
- Once cooked, drain and rinse the cactus. Let them drain completely or pat them dry with paper towels. Now, your nopales are ready to be prepared into salads, scrambled eggs, as an addition to your Mexican stews, etc.
- Place the nopales in a large bowl; add the chopped tomato, onion, serrano peppers and cilantro. Mix the ingredients. In a separate bowl mix lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add this to the nopales mixture and stir. Top the salad with crumbled fresh cheese and avocado slices. (Radishes go well with this salad also). Eat with corn tortillas or tostadas.
- Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped green onions and stir-fry for a minute. Add the nopales and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the eggs and cook until tender, stirring as needed. Add salt to taste.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 cup cooked nopales, Calories 14 kcal, Carbohydrate 3 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 1 g
CACTUS PADDLE SALAD/RELISH OR ENSALADA DE NOPALITOS
Make and share this Cactus Paddle Salad/Relish or Ensalada de Nopalitos recipe from Food.com.
Provided by Diana Adcock
Categories Vegetable
Time 15m
Yield 4-6 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- If the cactus is in big chunks dice to 1/2-1/4 inch pieces.
- Toss together with the tomato, onion and cilantro.
- Whisk together the dressing ingredients and toss with the salad.
- Serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 41.7, Fat 3.5, SaturatedFat 0.5, Sodium 76.3, Carbohydrate 2.6, Fiber 0.8, Sugar 1.4, Protein 0.5
ENSALADA DE NOPALES (CACTUS SALAD)
Steps:
- In a small bowl or jar whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, agave or honey, dried oregano, salt and pepper.
- Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the cactus, tomato, sliced onion, cilantro, queso fresco, and jalapeños if you're using any. Mix to combine all ingredients.
- Note: Do not mix in the avocado just yet as it will become all mushy when mixing the salad a few times. Leave it for the last step!
- Pour the desired amount of dressing over the salad and mix together.
- Add the cubed avocado and gently fold into the salad.
Nutrition Facts : ServingSize 1 serving, Sodium 800 mg, Sugar 10 g, Fiber 9 g, Cholesterol 30 mg, Calories 360 kcal, SaturatedFat 8 g, Fat 23 g, Protein 16 g, Carbohydrate 23 g, UnsaturatedFat 12 g
CACTUS SALAD
Steps:
- Gather the ingredients.
- Pour canned or jarred nopales into a strainer to drain. Rinse under running water until jar liquid is washed off. Leave nopales in long strips or chop into pieces about the same size as the tomato and onions.
- In a large glass, ceramic, or stainless steel bowl, toss together tomato, onion, nopales, and cilantro.
- Place olive oil, lime juice, oregano, and salt into a small jar with lid on. Shake vigorously until mixture comes together. Pour dressing over salad and toss again, gently but thoroughly.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate salad for at least an hour and up to 24 hours for flavors to meld. To serve, garnish with cheese, onion, and avocado.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 371 kcal, Carbohydrate 23 g, Cholesterol 21 mg, Fiber 11 g, Protein 11 g, SaturatedFat 7 g, Sodium 418 mg, Sugar 8 g, Fat 29 g, ServingSize 4 portions (4 servings), UnsaturatedFat 0 g
ENSALADA DE NOPALITOS
-Taste of Home Test Kitchen
Provided by Taste of Home
Categories Lunch
Time 15m
Yield 4 servings.
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In a large bowl, combine the cactus, tomatoes, onion and cilantro. In a jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, lime juice, oregano and salt; shake well. Just before serving, drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with queso fresco.
Nutrition Facts :
ENSALADA DE NOPALITOS (CACTUS SALAD) WITH VEGAN OPTION
This is a delicious recipe using nopales, which are the paddles of the prickly pear cactus. You can use fresh, cooked nopales if you wish, but we just used jarred cactus. We made this for a dinner party and it was a hit! Cooking time is time spent allowing the cactus to absorb the flavors of the other ingredients. There is no actual cooking involved, unless you decide to cook your own fresh cactus. To save time, chop the veggies while you're waiting for the nopales to marinate.
Provided by Annisette
Categories Vegetable
Time 45m
Yield 6-10 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Drain the nopalitos and place in a bowl. Cut them into smaller strips, if you prefer.
- Add the white onion, cilantro, Mexican oregano, and lime juice to the nopalitos. Stir well. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to mingle.
- While waiting, prepare the toppings.
- When the nopales mixture has sat for 30 minutes, spread the mixture in a 1.5 or 2 inch deep platter.
- Top with chopped tomatoes, cilantro, shredded cheese, onion, jalapeños, and avocado.
- Place the lettuce along the edges of the platter.
- Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 180.2, Fat 10.5, SaturatedFat 1.5, Sodium 52.3, Carbohydrate 21.4, Fiber 11.7, Sugar 7, Protein 5.8
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