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
BASIC COOKING FOR CACTUS PADDLES
My favorite way to cook them, aside from grilling them, is to sear them in a skillet with a bit of oil for a few minutes and then let them cook covered until all of that liquid comes out, then uncover until all that liquid cooks off. Pretty much like cooking mushrooms. Not only does it work, but it also adds a nice seared flavor with merely any oil and you don't have to drain and rinse many times. See below for precise directions, and give it a go!
Provided by Pati Jinich
Categories Main Course Side Dish
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Rinse the fresh cactus paddles under cold water, being careful not to prick your fingers with the small thorns on its surface. Using a vegetable peeler or small sharp knife, peel away the darker bumps where thorns grow, as well as the thorns, trying not to peel off all the outer dark green skin.
- Lay the paddles flat on a chopping board, then trim around approximately 1/4 inch of the edges and 1/2 inch of the thick base. Once cleaned, rinse and dice into 1/2 to 1 inch-sized squares, to your liking.
- Heat the oil in a thick, large-sized skillet (one that has a lid, since we will need it later on) over medium-high heat. Add the diced cactus, stir in the salt and stir for a minute or two. Place the lid on the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium and let the cactus cook and sweat for about 20 minutes, until it has exuded a gelatinous liquid that will begin to dry out. Take the lid off the skillet, stir and make sure most of that gelatinous substance has dried up. If it hasn't, let the cactus cook for a few more minutes until it does. Let the cactus cool and they are ready to go in a thousand directions including inside of a tortilla.
CACTUS PADDLE SALAD (NOPALES SALAD)
If you can't get fresh nopales, you can substitute a 12 - 15 ounce jar of the cactus pieces, drained. If you can't find Mexican queso fresco, you can substitue feta cheese--but the feta may be saltier than the queso so adjust your seasoning.
Provided by Chef Kate
Categories Vegetable
Time 50m
Yield 4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Heat 6 inches of water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Add the cactus and boil, uncovered, until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the cactus and transfer it to a large bowl.
- Add tomato, onion and cilantro; set aside.
- Whisk together the oil, vinegar, oregano and salt; pour over the vegetables and toss.
- Line a platter with lettuce leaves; top with salad; sprinkle with cheese; garnish with jalapenos and radish slices.
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